Teacher Efficacy in Writing: A Construct Validation With Primary Grade Teachers

Abstract

Teacher efficacy has been identified as a variable accounting for individual differences in teacher practice and student outcome. Because teacher efficacy is a specific rather than a generalized expectancy, an examination was done on the validity and reliability of a teacher efficacy instrument designed specifically for the area of writing. Consistent with previous teacher efficacy research, a factor analysis of the instrument yielded 2 dimensions: 1 measuring personal teaching efficacy and the other general teaching efficacy. Both factors were reliable and only slightly correlated with each other. The reported classroom practices of high- and low-efficacy teachers differed, providing further support for the validity of the instrument. It was also found that variation in efficacy scores was related to teachers' beliefs about how to teach writing.