TEACHER SELF-EFFICACY AND INITIAL SCIENCE TRAINING

Abstract

Given the relevance of Teacher Self-Efficacy, understood as the teacher’s belief in their ability to teach, this study investigated the development of this construct during the initial training of Science teachers. The study involved 48 undergraduate students enrolled in Biological Sciences and Chemistry teacher education programs at an institution located in the Rio Grande do Sul, Brasil. Data were collected through a questionnaire on self-efficacy sources and semi-structured interviews. The questionnaire results were subjected to non-parametric statistical tests, while the interviews were analyzed using content analysis. It was observed that the independent variables “course stage” and “internship experience” showed a statistically significant association with the dimension “verbal persuasion.” These results indicate that students in more advanced stages of their programs or those who had already completed internships tend to relate their self-efficacy more effectively to the guidance received during their training.