Teachers Self Efficacy: Is Reporting Non-Significant Results Essential?

Abstract

Self-efficacious teachers are viewed as having the ability to organize relevant activities, patient with students who are struggling in learning, and spending more time designing relevant teaching activities. The teachers exhibit good performance and probably remain committed to their work. And they are committed to organizing appropriate teaching activities, engaging students in learning. Teachers with high self- efficacy keep students on task and perform better because they use innovative teaching methods that encourage students autonomy and reduce custodial control. The main purpose of this paper is to report non-significant findings of a study that was carried out in Botswana with 1000 junior secondary school teachers in Gaborone and surrounding areas between November 2010 and February 2011. The study was about teacher efficacy and classroom management among Botswana junior secondary school teachers. Teacher Sense of Efficacy scale (TSES) instrument was used to collect data for the study. TSES comprises of three subscales, Efficacy in Student Engagement, Instructional Strategies and Classroom Management. Efficacy in Student Engagement was the only significant subscale among other sub-scales of TSES. The TSES means of districts, cities, towns and villages were not significant. This prompted the researcher to report non-significant results because they can assist teacher educators and stakeholders on how best to improve the training of pre-service and in-service teachers. Teacher commitment to work can enhance student learning. Teacher effectiveness can also promote positive effect in student learning, because teachers can plan their work using relevant materials that can motivate students to learn. Managing classrooms can enhance student learning if teachers encourage students to be responsible to their learning, and can put students on task and to reduce students undesirable behaviors that may interfere with their learning.