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Teacher Efficacy, Its Sources, and Implementation in Early Childhood Education

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Title: Teacher Efficacy, Its Sources, and Implementation in Early Childhood Education
Language: English
Authors: Harri Pitkäniemi (ORCID 0000-0001-9783-9213), Riikka Hirvonen (ORCID 0000-0001-5348-4801), Johanna Heikka (ORCID 0000-0002-0712-0801), Katja Suhonen (ORCID 0000-0002-2627-7994)
Source: Early Childhood Education Journal. 2025 53(5):1705-1715.
Availability: Springer. Available from: Springer Nature. One New York Plaza, Suite 4600, New York, NY 10004. Tel: 800-777-4643; Tel: 212-460-1500; Fax: 212-460-1700; e-mail: customerservice@springernature.com; Web site: https://link.springer.com/
Peer Reviewed: Y
Page Count: 11
Publication Date: 2025
Document Type: Journal Articles
Reports - Research
Education Level: Early Childhood Education
Descriptors: Teacher Effectiveness, Self Efficacy, Early Childhood Education, Early Childhood Teachers, Foreign Countries, Teacher Attitudes, Self Evaluation (Individuals), Predictor Variables, Educational Planning, Program Implementation, Leadership, Mastery Learning, Arousal Patterns, Teacher Student Relationship, Social Influences
Geographic Terms: Finland
DOI: 10.1007/s10643-024-01713-w
ISSN: 1082-3301
1573-1707
Abstract: The aim of the study is to comprehensively analyze the interrelationships between teacher efficacy, the sources of self-efficacy, and implementation of early childhood education (ECE). The assumption is that according to socio-cognitive theory, source categories predict the self-efficacy of educational staff. According to a few previous research results, knowledge of theories and research in the field of education also contributes to a professional's self-efficacy. In this study, 202 Finnish ECE teachers evaluated their self-efficacy and its sources (mastery experiences, vicarious experiences, social persuasion, and physiological arousal) as well as their pedagogical planning, implementation, and leadership. A path analysis was conducted to estimate the sources of self-efficacy and active and reactive use of educational research as predictors of teacher self-efficacy, and further, of self-efficacy as a predictor of teachers' pedagogical planning, implementation, and leadership. The findings showed that mastery experiences, social persuasion, and physiological arousal were positively related to self-efficacy in pedagogical approaches, group management, and child engagement. Intentional use of educational theory and research was positively related to self-efficacy in pedagogical approaches. Furthermore, the quality of pedagogical planning, implementation, and leadership were predicted by high self-efficacy in pedagogical approaches, but implementation also by social persuasion and active use of theory and research.
Abstractor: As Provided
Entry Date: 2025
Accession Number: EJ1470520
Database: ERIC
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  Value: <anid>AN0185036416;5mx01jun.25;2025May12.06:06;v2.2.500</anid> <title id="AN0185036416-1">Teacher Efficacy, Its Sources, and Implementation in Early Childhood Education </title> <p>The aim of the study is to comprehensively analyze the interrelationships between teacher efficacy, the sources of self-efficacy, and implementation of early childhood education (ECE). The assumption is that according to socio-cognitive theory, source categories predict the self-efficacy of educational staff. According to a few previous research results, knowledge of theories and research in the field of education also contributes to a professional's self-efficacy. In this study, 202 Finnish ECE teachers evaluated their self-efficacy and its sources (mastery experiences, vicarious experiences, social persuasion, and physiological arousal) as well as their pedagogical planning, implementation, and leadership. A path analysis was conducted to estimate the sources of self-efficacy and active and reactive use of educational research as predictors of teacher self-efficacy, and further, of self-efficacy as a predictor of teachers' pedagogical planning, implementation, and leadership. The findings showed that mastery experiences, social persuasion, and physiological arousal were positively related to self-efficacy in pedagogical approaches, group management, and child engagement. Intentional use of educational theory and research was positively related to self-efficacy in pedagogical approaches. Furthermore, the quality of pedagogical planning, implementation, and leadership were predicted by high self-efficacy in pedagogical approaches, but implementation also by social persuasion and active use of theory and research.</p> <p>Keywords: Teacher efficacy; Sources of self-efficacy; Educational theory and research; Early childhood education; Psychology and Cognitive Sciences Psychology</p> <hd id="AN0185036416-2">Introduction</hd> <p>Teachers' self-efficacy beliefs are the beliefs teachers hold about their ability to conduct teaching and carry out their professional tasks. Teachers with a strong sense of efficacy usually use more effective teaching strategies, are less prone to burnout, and are more dedicated to the profession (see Woolfolk Hoy & Davis, [<reflink idref="bib53" id="ref1">53</reflink>]; Zee & Koomen, [<reflink idref="bib55" id="ref2">55</reflink>]). Empirical research shows that teacher efficacy is a key factor, for example, of instructional quality, student support (Holzberger et al., [<reflink idref="bib28" id="ref3">28</reflink>]), and teacher engagement (Durksen et al., [<reflink idref="bib12" id="ref4">12</reflink>]; Granziera & Perera, [<reflink idref="bib15" id="ref5">15</reflink>]). Teacher self-efficacy has been connected with various student outcomes and the teaching quality (e.g., Künsting et al., [<reflink idref="bib36" id="ref6">36</reflink>]; Burić & Kim, [<reflink idref="bib8" id="ref7">8</reflink>]). Some researchers argue that teacher efficacy affects student outcomes indirectly through its influences on instructional practices (Guo et al., [<reflink idref="bib18" id="ref8">18</reflink>]; Woolfolk Hoy & Davis, [<reflink idref="bib53" id="ref9">53</reflink>]).</p> <p>However, the focus eventually turns to what is behind teacher self-efficacy, that is, its sources. According to Bandura's ([<reflink idref="bib5" id="ref10">5</reflink>], [<reflink idref="bib6" id="ref11">6</reflink>]) social cognitive theory, efficacy judgments are made when individuals reflect and integrate psychological sources of information such as mastery experiences, verbal persuasion, vicarious experience, and physiological and emotional arousal. Several studies on teacher self-efficacy have been conducted in the school context, and those previous findings are certainly valid in that context. However, teacher self-efficacy and its various connections have been studied very little in the context of early childhood education (ECE), and especially little research has been done on how the sources build a teacher's self-efficacy specifically in the context of ECE.</p> <p>According to a further developed model, that is, a mediative model (Morris et al., [<reflink idref="bib40" id="ref12">40</reflink>]), the sources influence the teacher's thinking and beliefs, which further build their self-efficacy. In this study, the teacher's attitude or "openness" to educational theory and research has also been included as a new component because it has also been tentatively found to be connected to the teacher's self-efficacy (Hascher & Hagenauer, [<reflink idref="bib19" id="ref13">19</reflink>]). All in all, there is little research on teacher self-efficacy in the context of ECE, so in reviewing previous empirical studies, we rely mainly on teacher thinking and action in contexts that are different from our study. Theoretically, however, the mechanism of teachers' self-efficacy is essentially the same. We also look at the few studies in the context of ECE about teachers' self-efficacy and its associations with other key factors that are relevant to our study (pedagogical planning, implementation, and leadership). Our review showed that the self-efficacy of ECE teachers has been addressed from the perspectives of work community, cooperation, and leadership. However, there is no clear evidence on the connection of teacher self-efficacy to pedagogical planning, implementation of curricula, or pedagogical leadership. This study pushes previous research forward by explaining how self-efficacy is reflected in these areas. Furthermore, we are interested in broadly understanding the antecedents and outcomes of teacher efficacy in the early childhood context.</p> <hd id="AN0185036416-3">Previous Studies on Sources of Teacher Efficacy and Research Orientation</hd> <p>Hoi et al. ([<reflink idref="bib27" id="ref14">27</reflink>]) proposed the Sources of Teacher Efficacy Questionnaire (STEQ) with four subscales: mastery experience, vicarious experience, social persuasion, and physiological arousal. In their study, scores from the source factors had strong significant correlations with the primary school teachers' efficacy beliefs (Teachers' Sense of Efficacy Scale, TSES). Yada et al. ([<reflink idref="bib54" id="ref15">54</reflink>]) examined the extent and sources of primary and lower secondary school teachers' self-efficacy for inclusive practices among Japanese and Finnish teachers. Mastery experience was identified as the strongest positive source for teacher efficacy. The researchers concluded that the school learning context in Finland seems to support teachers in receiving persuasive information in a positive way (see also Engelbrecht et al., [<reflink idref="bib13" id="ref16">13</reflink>]). In Yada et al.'s ([<reflink idref="bib54" id="ref17">54</reflink>]) study, vicarious experience did not appear to make any independent contribution to teacher efficacy because teachers had few opportunities to observe relevant role models (see also Morris et al., [<reflink idref="bib40" id="ref18">40</reflink>]). The researchers state that teacher efficacy could be enhanced by offering more opportunities for different kinds of modeling, for example by pre- and in-service training programs.</p> <p>Clark and Newberry ([<reflink idref="bib11" id="ref19">11</reflink>]) studied self-efficacy and its sources among primary education student-teachers. The sources included mastery experiences, vicarious experiences, and verbal persuasion from teacher educators and cooperating teachers. All were strong predictors of teacher self-efficacy, but the explanation rate was only 18%, which suggests that there are also other significant factors. In addition, less research has been done on how multiple sources collectively influence pre-service teachers' self-efficacy (Clark & Newberry, [<reflink idref="bib11" id="ref20">11</reflink>]). In a study by Pfitzner-Eden ([<reflink idref="bib47" id="ref21">47</reflink>]), elementary, middle, and secondary school pre-service teachers' self-efficacy was found to be directly influenced by mastery experiences gathered during the teaching practicum, yet mastery experiences were much informed by the other three sources. Based on a few studies, these four sources probably make an influence interactively, sometimes all and sometimes two or three sources together. Research indicates that mastery experiences, mastery experiences with social persuasion or vicarious experiences, or all four "theoretical" sources are significant for the development of teacher self-efficacy beliefs in the school context (see, e.g., Clark & Newberry, [<reflink idref="bib11" id="ref22">11</reflink>]; Hoi et al., [<reflink idref="bib27" id="ref23">27</reflink>]; Mansfield & Woods-McConney, [<reflink idref="bib38" id="ref24">38</reflink>]; Oh, [<reflink idref="bib42" id="ref25">42</reflink>]; Palmer, [<reflink idref="bib44" id="ref26">44</reflink>]; Wang et al., [<reflink idref="bib51" id="ref27">51</reflink>]). The sources of teachers' self-efficacy have not been studied in the naturalistic context of ECE and working life, although some studies have investigated these sources through courses and development projects (see Bautista, [<reflink idref="bib7" id="ref28">7</reflink>]; Sandholtz & Ringstaff, [<reflink idref="bib48" id="ref29">48</reflink>]).</p> <p>In the study of Bautista ([<reflink idref="bib7" id="ref30">7</reflink>]), the effectiveness of an ECE science methods course in pre-service teacher education was examined. The findings showed that teachers' personal science teaching efficacy and science teaching outcome expectancies grew significantly over the semester. Moreover, Sandholtz and Ringstaff ([<reflink idref="bib48" id="ref31">48</reflink>]) investigated how ECE, first-, and second-grade teachers' participation in a three-year professional development program improved their teacher efficacy and enhanced their science teaching. Significant increases were found in teachers' overall self-efficacy in teaching science, personal efficacy, and outcome expectancy efficacy. In addition, the development of teacher efficacy was linked with changes in instructional practices, particularly student participation activities. These studies show that teachers' self-efficacy can be influenced, and that the development of self-efficacy can increase the quality of teaching. Furthermore, Guo et al.'s ([<reflink idref="bib16" id="ref32">16</reflink>]) study showed that teacher efficacy and classroom quality predicted children's improvement in print awareness, which verifies the importance of teacher self-efficacy in the preschool context.</p> <p>Furthermore, Hascher and Hagenauer ([<reflink idref="bib19" id="ref33">19</reflink>]) analyzed the relationship between secondary education student-teachers' openness to theory, self-efficacy, emotions, and classroom activity during the practicum. The study successfully demonstrated the link between openness to theory, self-efficacy, and emotions. The researchers conclude that educational theories offered in teacher education operate as a resource for teaching in the practicum. İlhan et al. ([<reflink idref="bib30" id="ref34">30</reflink>]) found a positive and significant relationship between pre-service science teachers' attitudes toward educational research and their teaching efficacy beliefs. It is about studies that have explored the relationship between teacher self-efficacy and research orientation. A few studies (Hascher & Hagenauer, [<reflink idref="bib19" id="ref35">19</reflink>]; İlhan et al., [<reflink idref="bib30" id="ref36">30</reflink>]) tentatively show that high research orientation supports teachers' self-efficacy, which has a link to the quality of teaching and the level of children's learning (Klassen & Tze, [<reflink idref="bib33" id="ref37">33</reflink>]; Klassen et al., [<reflink idref="bib34" id="ref38">34</reflink>]).</p> <hd id="AN0185036416-4">Planning, Implementation, and Leadership of ECE Pedagogy</hd> <p>It has been suggested that self-efficacy can substantially explain individuals' behavior and teaching practice (Perren et al., [<reflink idref="bib46" id="ref39">46</reflink>]). Furthermore, it has been found that ECE professionals' behavior is predicted more by their self-efficacy than by their attitudes. Self-efficacy also positively relates with ECE professionals' educational practice and high-quality and child-centered education in ECE. (Perren et al., [<reflink idref="bib46" id="ref40">46</reflink>]). According to Lipscomb et al. ([<reflink idref="bib37" id="ref41">37</reflink>]), ECE teachers' self-efficacy and professional support predict higher work engagement when the demands of work, teachers' education, and professional development are taken into account. They state that teachers who believe in their skills to effectively support children's learning and development are more positively dedicated to work. Moreover, self-efficacy is considered to have a significant role in supporting teachers to continue working with young children. (Lipscomb et al., [<reflink idref="bib37" id="ref42">37</reflink>]).</p> <p>In Finland, ECE teachers are responsible for pedagogical planning and development in child groups (Act 540/2018; Finnish National Agency for Education [EDUFI], [<reflink idref="bib14" id="ref43">14</reflink>]). Teachers' professional expertise related to pedagogical planning includes, for example, knowledge of children's learning, development and well-being, and pedagogical approaches. Teachers can also develop curriculum processes and ensure that the activity is goal-oriented (Ministry of Education and Culture, [<reflink idref="bib39" id="ref44">39</reflink>]). They can improve pedagogical practices based on continuous pedagogical documentation and assessment with the multi-professional staff teams and by enhancing a common reflection of practices among educators (Heikka et al., [<reflink idref="bib24" id="ref45">24</reflink>]; Heikka & Suhonen, [<reflink idref="bib21" id="ref46">21</reflink>]).</p> <p>According to studies by Heikka et al. ([<reflink idref="bib25" id="ref47">25</reflink>]), Heikka and Suhonen ([<reflink idref="bib21" id="ref48">21</reflink>]), and Heikka et al. ([<reflink idref="bib22" id="ref49">22</reflink>]), ECE teachers' pedagogical leadership in Finnish ECE settings includes the following responsibilities: leading pedagogical practices in child groups, leading curriculum work on the staff teams, and enhancing pedagogical and professional development of educators aligned with goals. Teachers also organize teamwork and lead the working culture among the educators. Regarding this, Guo et al. ([<reflink idref="bib17" id="ref50">17</reflink>]) documented associations between preschool teachers' self-efficacy and their perceptions of staff collaboration and their decision-making influence. There are differences in how teachers lead pedagogical practices on their staff teams (Waniganayake et al., [<reflink idref="bib52" id="ref51">52</reflink>]), and the teachers' skills and identities as leaders also vary (Heikka et al., [<reflink idref="bib25" id="ref52">25</reflink>], [<reflink idref="bib26" id="ref53">26</reflink>]). Therefore, it is important to address teachers' pedagogical leadership from the perspective of self-efficacy. Initial evidence suggests that ECE teachers' self-efficacy is malleable and can be strengthened through preparation, effective professional development, and support from leaders (Ciyer et al., [<reflink idref="bib10" id="ref54">10</reflink>]; Pas et al., [<reflink idref="bib45" id="ref55">45</reflink>]; Von Suchodoletz et al., [<reflink idref="bib50" id="ref56">50</reflink>]). It can be concluded that the planning and development of teaching in early childhood education differs from comprehensive education.</p> <hd id="AN0185036416-5">Summary of Previous Research and Our Research Questions</hd> <p>Social-cognitive theory suggests that certain factors act as sources for building a teacher's self-efficacy (Bandura, [<reflink idref="bib5" id="ref57">5</reflink>], [<reflink idref="bib6" id="ref58">6</reflink>]). Several quantitative—and to some extent qualitative—studies have been conducted on the relationship between the sources of self-efficacy and the teacher's self-efficacy. Those studies are mostly located in the school context. According to them, the social-cognitive theory presented by Bandura receives empirical support. This comes out in such a way that at least the mastery experiences, and often combined with other types of sources, predicts the teacher's self-efficacy. Instead, the utilization of educational theory and research has been studied less. However, a few studies show that it is also positively linked with the teacher's self-efficacy.</p> <p>However, no studies have investigated the relationship between a teacher's self-efficacy, its sources, and the utilization of educational research in the teacher's work in the context of ECE. Also, it has not been studied how the factors mentioned above are linked to the implementation of ECE, here mainly to the teachers' perceptions of the implementation. Based on these starting points, it seems important to study the relationships between the sources of self-efficacy, teachers' self-efficacy, and pedagogical planning, implementation, and leadership.</p> <p>Based on previous research and, on the other hand, the related shortcomings, we consider the following research questions to be relevant (see Fig. 1 for the schematic illustration):</p> <p></p> <ulist> <item> To what extent is teachers' self-efficacy in pedagogical approaches, group management, and child engagement predicted by their mastery experiences, social persuasion, physiological arousal, and vicarious experiences?</item> <p></p> <item> To what extent is teachers' self-efficacy in pedagogical approaches, group management, and child engagement predicted by their active and reactive use of educational theory and research?</item> <p></p> <item> To what extent does teachers' self-efficacy in pedagogical approaches, group management, and child engagement further predict their pedagogical planning, implementation, and leadership?</item> </ulist> <p>Graph: Fig. 1 A schematic model of the hypothesized associations between sources of self-efficacy, use of educational research, self-efficacy, and pedagogical planning, implementation, and leadership</p> <hd id="AN0185036416-6">Methodology</hd> <p></p> <hd id="AN0185036416-7">Participants</hd> <p>The data for this cross-sectional study were collected from four Finnish municipalities between 2017 and 2021. Participants (<emph>N</emph> = 202) worked as ECE teachers in municipal ECE centers, but their educational backgrounds varied. A vast majority (92.1%) of the participants were ECE teachers. The remaining 8.0% were, for example, early childhood special education teachers or ECE directors. Criteria for participating in the study were that the participant had to work as an ECE teacher who was responsible for a child group at the time of the study. Regarding gender, a majority of the participants were female (94.6%), 2.5% were male, and 3.0% gave no answer. The participants' work experience varied to some extent: 4.5% had worked less than a year as an ECE teacher, 11.9% for 1 to 3 years, 12.9% for 4 to 6 years, and 70.6% had more than 6 years of work experience as an ECE teacher.</p> <hd id="AN0185036416-8">Data Collection</hd> <p>The data were collected from the teachers via an anonymous online survey. The link to this electronic questionnaire was sent to municipal ECE coordinators or leaders, who forwarded it to their municipality's ECE teachers. It was expected that all teachers answered questionnaires during their working hours. All participants gave informed consent to participate in the study.</p> <hd id="AN0185036416-9">Measures</hd> <p>All measures used in the study were modified from scales that have been used in previous research on similar theoretical concepts. However, modifications to the original scales were needed because previous research, for example on the relationship between self-efficacy and its sources, has focused mostly on the school context or the context of teacher training and related teaching practice.</p> <p>We modified previous measurement instruments in such a way that (<reflink idref="bib1" id="ref59">1</reflink>) the scales were suitable for the context of ECE, (<reflink idref="bib2" id="ref60">2</reflink>) the original English versions were translated into Finnish, and (<reflink idref="bib3" id="ref61">3</reflink>) the number of items per theoretical concept were somewhat reduced, so that the workload of the participants in filling out the scales was reasonable.</p> <hd id="AN0185036416-10">Sources of Teacher Self-efficacy</hd> <p>In studying the sources of teacher self-efficacy, we utilized a shortened version of a research instrument presented by Hoi et al. ([<reflink idref="bib27" id="ref62">27</reflink>]). Their original STEQ consists of 26 items for teacher efficacy sources, of which 17 were used in the present study. These were measured on a five-point Likert scale with 1 as "strongly disagree" and 5 as "strongly agree." The items form four subscales: The mastery experience scale consists of four items (e.g., "<emph>I still do not have strategies in my educational work that would enable high-quality work.</emph>" [reversed]). The vicarious experience scale consists of three items (e.g., "<emph>By taking a model from my colleagues, I can solve work-related challenges and problems.</emph>"). The scale for social persuasion includes four items (e.g., "<emph>Most of the parents of the children in my group think that I am a good early childhood education teacher.</emph>"). Physiological arousal consists of six items (e.g., "<emph>I feel quite relaxed when I work as an early childhood education teacher.</emph>" [reversed]). Composite scores for mastery experience, vicarious experience, social persuasion, and physiological arousal were created by calculating mean scores across the respective items.</p> <hd id="AN0185036416-11">Utilization of Educational Research</hd> <p>Teachers' use of educational theory and research was measured with two scales (Oosterheert et al., [<reflink idref="bib43" id="ref63">43</reflink>]): actively relating theory to practice (6 items) and reactively relating theory to practice (5 items). Actively relating theory to practice refers to the extent to which the teacher actively uses externally provided conceptual information that is intended to be explicitly and successfully related to practice (e.g., "<emph>I try to utilize research data and theories related to education, teaching, and care when planning pedagogical activities.</emph>"). In contrast, reactively relating theory to practice refers to the spontaneous use of conceptual educational information. This is the non-intentional use of conceptual information, that is, the information has a connection to teachers' implicit questions and problems. Reactive (general reflection, spontaneous use in "random situations," and implicit use) utilization of theory usually means a quite passive and unplanned reflection of educational theory or its surprising use (e.g., "<emph>When I am offered some hint or suggestion regarding teaching, I understand that I need it.</emph>"). All items were answered on a five-point Likert scale (1 = strongly disagree; 5 = strongly agree), and composite scores for the two scales were created by calculating mean scores across the respective items.</p> <hd id="AN0185036416-12">Self-efficacy</hd> <p>The Teachers' Sense of Efficacy Scale (TSES; Tschannen-Moran & Hoy, [<reflink idref="bib49" id="ref64">49</reflink>]) was used to measure teacher efficacy. However, the original three subscales, that is, different facets of teacher efficacy (instructional strategies, classroom management, and student engagement), were modified to the context of ECE. Self-efficacy in pedagogical approaches (e.g., "<emph>To what extent can you plan and implement different working methods and learning environments?</emph>"), self-efficacy in group management (e.g., "<emph>To what extent do you manage to calm down a child who is behaving in a problematic way?</emph>"), and self-efficacy in child engagement (e.g., "<emph>To what extent do you make children believe in their own abilities and commit to long-term activities?</emph>") each consisted of four items. All 12 items were answered on a five-point Likert scale (1 = not at all; 5 = to a great extent). Mean scores for the three subscales were created.</p> <hd id="AN0185036416-13">Pedagogical Planning, Implementation, and Leadership</hd> <p>Pedagogical planning was measured with three items referring to how the ECE teacher manages the curricula work at different levels of planning: local, child group, and individual children. Implementation was measured with three items (e.g., "<emph>I feel that as an early childhood education teacher, I am able to implement early childhood education curricula and develop an operational culture.</emph>"). Leadership was also measured with three items (e.g., "<emph>I feel that I know how to guide the pedagogical activities of childcarers and support their professional expertise.</emph>"). All items were answered on a five-point Likert scale (1 = strongly disagree; 5 = strongly agree), and mean scores for the subscales were created.</p> <hd id="AN0185036416-14">Data Analysis</hd> <p>The hypothesized path model was tested using the M<emph>plus</emph> 8.8 statistical package (Muthén & Muthén, [<reflink idref="bib41" id="ref65">41</reflink>]). The models were estimated with maximum likelihood estimation with robust standard errors (MLR). The comparative fit index (CFI), the Tucker-Lewis index (TLI), the root mean square error of approximation (RMSEA), and the standardized root mean square residual (SRMR) were used as criteria for model fit. Values higher than 0.90 for CFI and TLI, lower than 0.06 for RMSEA, and lower than 0.08 for SRMR were considered satisfactory (see Hu & Bentler, [<reflink idref="bib29" id="ref66">29</reflink>]).</p> <hd id="AN0185036416-15">Results</hd> <p>The descriptive statistics and intercorrelations of the study variables are presented in Table 1. As expected, all four sources of self-efficacy had positive correlations with all three areas of teacher self-efficacy, with vicarious experience showing somewhat lower associations than mastery experience, social persuasion, and physiological arousal. Similarly, both active and reactive use of educational research and theory positively correlated with the three areas of teacher self-efficacy. Furthermore, the three self-efficacy domains had positive correlations with pedagogical planning, implementation, and leadership. The relatively high means of each study variable suggest that the teachers generally had very positive perceptions of their self-efficacy and pedagogical practices.</p> <p>To examine the research questions, a path model was created. In this model (see Fig. 1), the four sources of self-efficacy (mastery experiences, vicarious experiences, social persuasion, and physiological arousal) and two forms of educational research use (actively and reactively relating theory to practice) were allowed to predict the three domains of teacher self-efficacy (self-efficacy in pedagogical approaches, group management, and child engagement). These self-efficacy domains were further set to predict pedagogical planning, implementation, and leadership. The fit of the model was not adequate: χ<sups>2</sups>(<reflink idref="bib18" id="ref67">18</reflink>) = 81.73, <emph>p</emph> <.001; CFI = 0.91; TLI = 0.76; RMSEA = 0.13; SRMR = 0.05. According to the modification indices, the fit of the model would improve by including direct paths from social persuasion and active educational theory use to implementation. After these modifications, the fit of the model was acceptable: χ<sups>2</sups>(<reflink idref="bib16" id="ref68">16</reflink>) = 37.80, <emph>p</emph> =.002; CFI = 0.97; TLI = 0.91; RMSEA = 0.08; SRMR = 0.03.</p> <p>Table 1 Descriptive statistics and intercorrelations of the study variables</p> <p> <ephtml> <table frame="hsides" rules="groups"><thead><tr><th align="left" /><th align="left"><p>1</p></th><th align="left"><p>2</p></th><th align="left"><p>3</p></th><th align="left"><p>4</p></th><th align="left"><p>5</p></th><th align="left"><p>6</p></th><th align="left"><p>7</p></th><th align="left"><p>8</p></th><th align="left"><p>9</p></th><th align="left"><p>10</p></th><th align="left"><p>11</p></th><th align="left"><p>12</p></th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td align="left"><p>1. Mastery experience</p></td><td align="left" /><td align="left" /><td align="left" /><td align="left" /><td align="left" /><td align="left" /><td align="left" /><td align="left" /><td align="left" /><td align="left" /><td align="left" /><td align="left" /></tr><tr><td align="left"><p>2. Vicarious experience</p></td><td align="left"><p>0.04</p></td><td align="left" /><td align="left" /><td align="left" /><td align="left" /><td align="left" /><td align="left" /><td align="left" /><td align="left" /><td align="left" /><td align="left" /><td align="left" /></tr><tr><td align="left"><p>3. Social persuasion</p></td><td align="left"><p>0.50***</p></td><td align="left"><p>0.29***</p></td><td align="left" /><td align="left" /><td align="left" /><td align="left" /><td align="left" /><td align="left" /><td align="left" /><td align="left" /><td align="left" /><td align="left" /></tr><tr><td align="left"><p>4. Physiological arousal</p></td><td align="left"><p>0.42***</p></td><td align="left"><p>0.11</p></td><td align="left"><p>0.38***</p></td><td align="left" /><td align="left" /><td align="left" /><td align="left" /><td align="left" /><td align="left" /><td align="left" /><td align="left" /><td align="left" /></tr><tr><td align="left"><p>5. Active use of theory</p></td><td align="left"><p>0.35***</p></td><td align="left"><p>0.09</p></td><td align="left"><p>0.41***</p></td><td align="left"><p>0.36***</p></td><td align="left" /><td align="left" /><td align="left" /><td align="left" /><td align="left" /><td align="left" /><td align="left" /><td align="left" /></tr><tr><td align="left"><p>6. Reactive use of theory</p></td><td align="left"><p>0.19**</p></td><td align="left"><p>0.19**</p></td><td align="left"><p>0.31***</p></td><td align="left"><p>0.27***</p></td><td align="left"><p>0.61***</p></td><td align="left" /><td align="left" /><td align="left" /><td align="left" /><td align="left" /><td align="left" /><td align="left" /></tr><tr><td align="left"><p>7. SE in pedagogical approaches</p></td><td align="left"><p>0.54***</p></td><td align="left"><p>0.23***</p></td><td align="left"><p>0.54***</p></td><td align="left"><p>0.44***</p></td><td align="left"><p>0.45***</p></td><td align="left"><p>0.30***</p></td><td align="left" /><td align="left" /><td align="left" /><td align="left" /><td align="left" /><td align="left" /></tr><tr><td align="left"><p>8. SE in group management</p></td><td align="left"><p>0.49***</p></td><td align="left"><p>0.17*</p></td><td align="left"><p>0.48***</p></td><td align="left"><p>0.53***</p></td><td align="left"><p>0.36***</p></td><td align="left"><p>0.21**</p></td><td align="left"><p>0.56***</p></td><td align="left" /><td align="left" /><td align="left" /><td align="left" /><td align="left" /></tr><tr><td align="left"><p>9. SE in child engagement</p></td><td align="left"><p>0.51***</p></td><td align="left"><p>0.21**</p></td><td align="left"><p>0.55***</p></td><td align="left"><p>0.48***</p></td><td align="left"><p>0.41***</p></td><td align="left"><p>0.30***</p></td><td align="left"><p>0.64***</p></td><td align="left"><p>0.66***</p></td><td align="left" /><td align="left" /><td align="left" /><td align="left" /></tr><tr><td align="left"><p>10. Pedagogical planning</p></td><td align="left"><p>0.47***</p></td><td align="left"><p>0.10</p></td><td align="left"><p>0.34***</p></td><td align="left"><p>0.36***</p></td><td align="left"><p>0.35***</p></td><td align="left"><p>0.30***</p></td><td align="left"><p>0.55***</p></td><td align="left"><p>0.40***</p></td><td align="left"><p>0.48***</p></td><td align="left" /><td align="left" /><td align="left" /></tr><tr><td align="left"><p>11. Implementation</p></td><td align="left"><p>0.57***</p></td><td align="left"><p>0.20**</p></td><td align="left"><p>0.58***</p></td><td align="left"><p>0.50***</p></td><td align="left"><p>0.49***</p></td><td align="left"><p>0.39***</p></td><td align="left"><p>0.59***</p></td><td align="left"><p>0.51***</p></td><td align="left"><p>0.49***</p></td><td align="left"><p>0.55***</p></td><td align="left" /><td align="left" /></tr><tr><td align="left"><p>12. Leadership</p></td><td align="left"><p>0.48***</p></td><td align="left"><p>0.18**</p></td><td align="left"><p>0.43***</p></td><td align="left"><p>0.36***</p></td><td align="left"><p>0.33***</p></td><td align="left"><p>0.22**</p></td><td align="left"><p>0.57***</p></td><td align="left"><p>0.50***</p></td><td align="left"><p>0.55***</p></td><td align="left"><p>0.61***</p></td><td align="left"><p>0.62***</p></td><td align="left" /></tr><tr><td align="left"><p>Minimum</p></td><td align="left"><p>2.00</p></td><td align="left"><p>1.67</p></td><td align="left"><p>2.00</p></td><td align="left"><p>1.33</p></td><td align="left"><p>2.25</p></td><td align="left"><p>2.67</p></td><td align="left"><p>2.25</p></td><td align="left"><p>2.50</p></td><td align="left"><p>2.75</p></td><td align="left"><p>2.00</p></td><td align="left"><p>2.67</p></td><td align="left"><p>1.67</p></td></tr><tr><td align="left"><p>Maximum</p></td><td align="left"><p>5.00</p></td><td align="left"><p>5.00</p></td><td align="left"><p>5.00</p></td><td align="left"><p>5.00</p></td><td align="left"><p>5.00</p></td><td align="left"><p>5.00</p></td><td align="left"><p>5.00</p></td><td align="left"><p>5.00</p></td><td align="left"><p>5.00</p></td><td align="left"><p>5.00</p></td><td align="left"><p>5.00</p></td><td align="left"><p>5.00</p></td></tr><tr><td align="left"><p>Mean</p></td><td align="left"><p>4.24</p></td><td align="left"><p>3.91</p></td><td align="left"><p>4.07</p></td><td align="left"><p>3.94</p></td><td align="left"><p>3.86</p></td><td align="left"><p>4.26</p></td><td align="left"><p>4.08</p></td><td align="left"><p>4.08</p></td><td align="left"><p>3.86</p></td><td align="left"><p>4.10</p></td><td align="left"><p>4.23</p></td><td align="left"><p>3.86</p></td></tr><tr><td align="left"><p>Standard deviation</p></td><td align="left"><p>0.55</p></td><td align="left"><p>0.68</p></td><td align="left"><p>0.67</p></td><td align="left"><p>0.61</p></td><td align="left"><p>0.63</p></td><td align="left"><p>0.55</p></td><td align="left"><p>0.49</p></td><td align="left"><p>0.48</p></td><td align="left"><p>0.43</p></td><td align="left"><p>0.70</p></td><td align="left"><p>0.51</p></td><td align="left"><p>0.65</p></td></tr><tr><td align="left"><p>Cronbach's alpha</p></td><td align="left"><p>0.67</p></td><td align="left"><p>0.65</p></td><td align="left"><p>0.83</p></td><td align="left"><p>0.76</p></td><td align="left"><p>0.73</p></td><td align="left"><p>0.69</p></td><td align="left"><p>0.74</p></td><td align="left"><p>0.79</p></td><td align="left"><p>0.71</p></td><td align="left"><p>0.78</p></td><td align="left"><p>0.75</p></td><td align="left"><p>0.80</p></td></tr></tbody></table> </ephtml> </p> <p> <emph>Note N</emph> = 202. SE = self-efficacy. *<emph>p</emph> <.05. **<emph>p</emph> <.01. ***<emph>p</emph> <.001</p> <p>The results of the final model are presented in Fig. 2. Regarding RQ1, the results showed that teachers' mastery experiences, social persuasion, and physiological arousal were positively related to all three areas of self-efficacy (i.e., self-efficacy in pedagogical approaches, group management, and child engagement). In contrast, vicarious experiences were not related to any areas of self-efficacy.</p> <p>Regarding RQ2, the results showed that teachers' active use of educational theory was positively related to their self-efficacy only in pedagogical approaches but not in group management or child engagement. Reactive theory use was not related to any areas of self-efficacy.</p> <p>Finally, regarding RQ3, the results showed that teachers' self-efficacy in pedagogical approaches was predictive of their pedagogical planning, implementation, and leadership; self-efficacy in child engagement was related to pedagogical planning and leadership; and self-efficacy in group management was only related to leadership. Social persuasion and active educational theory use had direct, positive relations with implementation.</p> <p>Graph: Fig. 2 The final path model of the associations between sources of self-efficacy, use of educational research, self-efficacy, and pedagogical planning, implementation, and leadership (standardized estimates).Note For clarity, covariances between the predictors as well as statistically non-significant regression paths have been omitted. *p <.05. **p <.01. ***p <.001</p> <hd id="AN0185036416-16">Discussion</hd> <p>The previous research used in the construction of our hypothetical model is mostly related to the relationship between the teacher's self-efficacy and its sources, which has been carried out mainly in the school context and in the context of teacher education. That research is essentially based on the social-cognitive theory created by Bandura ([<reflink idref="bib5" id="ref69">5</reflink>], [<reflink idref="bib6" id="ref70">6</reflink>]). In light of our findings, it seems that the theory is also supported in the context of ECE. Among the sources of self-efficacy suggested by the theory, mastery experience has been shown to be the strongest and most important factor for teacher self-efficacy in empirical research up to now (theoretical framework of this study, previous studies), and it was found to have a significant role also in our study. Mastery experience is often closely linked with the other sources mentioned by the theory (social persuasion, vicarious experiences, physiological arousal) in such a way that either all sources or usually a large number of them get support as significant sources of self-efficacy, whether the study uses quantitative or qualitative research methodology (see, e.g., Akkuzu, [<reflink idref="bib2" id="ref71">2</reflink>]; Bursal, [<reflink idref="bib9" id="ref72">9</reflink>]; Clark & Newberry, [<reflink idref="bib11" id="ref73">11</reflink>]; Hastings, [<reflink idref="bib20" id="ref74">20</reflink>]; Hoi et al., [<reflink idref="bib27" id="ref75">27</reflink>]; Mansfield & Woods-McConney, [<reflink idref="bib38" id="ref76">38</reflink>]; Oh, [<reflink idref="bib42" id="ref77">42</reflink>]; Palmer, [<reflink idref="bib44" id="ref78">44</reflink>]; Wang et al., [<reflink idref="bib51" id="ref79">51</reflink>]). It is worth noting that previous studies have mostly been conducted in contexts other than ECE. In our study, social persuasion and physiological arousal were found to be related to ECE teachers' self-efficacy along with mastery experiences. The social-cognitive theory on self-efficacy is, thus, a theory that crosses several different contexts of education and teaching.</p> <p>However, contrary to expectations, vicarious experiences were not a significant predictor of ECE teachers' self-efficacy. This finding could be explained by the less significant role vicarious experiences may have for working teachers in contrast to those teachers who have recently been studied in teacher training or even in the context of teaching practice. Yada et al. ([<reflink idref="bib54" id="ref80">54</reflink>]) explored the extent and sources of teachers' self-efficacy among Japanese and Finnish school teachers. Based on their study, it seems that making observations about other actors in the field of education is often not a relevant source of self-efficacy. Yada et al. ([<reflink idref="bib54" id="ref81">54</reflink>], p. 21) write: "Vicarious experience, ... in the present context, the result may reflect (a) the difficulty of finding a role model in their own school with similar ability and personal attributes or (b) the lesser impact of vicarious experience is teacher self-efficacy at this developmental stage, where teachers have already established their own professional identity." Thus, if teachers do not have the opportunity to observe the work of their colleagues, the importance of vicarious experiences as a source for self-efficacy is diminished (Morris et al., [<reflink idref="bib40" id="ref82">40</reflink>]; Yada et al., [<reflink idref="bib54" id="ref83">54</reflink>]). That is, making observations can be a significantly more essential source for the development of self-efficacy in the context of teacher training than in working life. Based on our own results, this could also be the case in the working life of ECE.</p> <p>In addition to the sources of self-efficacy suggested by the social-cognitive theory, we were interested in examining the role that teachers' use of educational theory plays in their self-efficacy. For that purpose, we divided theory use into two parts—active theory use and reactive theory use—because these describe qualitatively very different ways of utilizing educational research and theories. The former emphasizes that the planning of teaching is at least partly based on theory, while the latter describes the spontaneous utilization of educational theory and research results in everyday educational work. In our study, both scales (adjusted to the context of ECE) are based on the measurement instrument presented by Oosterheert et al. ([<reflink idref="bib43" id="ref84">43</reflink>]). These two scales target much the same contents as those used in Hascher and Hagenauer's ([<reflink idref="bib19" id="ref85">19</reflink>]) study. According to our results, it does not seem to be as important a source as the systematic use of educational theory. However, the research contexts and the research instruments used do not enable complete comparability.</p> <p>Recently, there have been studies on whether teachers use research knowledge in teaching, both in the context of teacher education and working life (Baan et al., [<reflink idref="bib3" id="ref86">3</reflink>], [<reflink idref="bib4" id="ref87">4</reflink>]). According to the results of Baan's research group, educational research knowledge does not necessarily translate into practical service. The teachers presented rather critical assessments of the availability of support from the school's organizational factors, time, availability of sources and, for example, the motivation of their team to conduct research (Baan et al., [<reflink idref="bib3" id="ref88">3</reflink>]). Jakhelln et al. ([<reflink idref="bib31" id="ref89">31</reflink>]) studied teachers at the interface of teacher education and working life in Finland and Norway. The results revealed a weak connection between the research-based knowledge obtained from the teacher education and the teachers' work. The results are somewhat problematic for teachers who have worked in schools for some time. For example, in a more recent study, Baan et al. ([<reflink idref="bib4" id="ref90">4</reflink>]) found that, after working for three years, a few teachers became non-motivated as they did not perceive their school cultures as supportive of inquiry-based working. Although we cannot verify it with our data, we believe a similar phenomenon could explain our results. It seems that educational research data does not meet teachers' needs well enough in a way that serves practice, whether it is a phase of teacher education or a teacher at work context.</p> <p>It is possible that the actual planning of teaching in advance can also be explicit. It can also involve reflection on educational theories and research, which takes place at its own pace. On the other hand, in teaching situations where thinking occurs spontaneously, research data is not utilized to the same extent. It may be that even in these situations, the teacher uses personal knowledge, but it is essentially implicit, so-called tacit knowledge. This is also called the teacher's practical knowledge or practical theory (or theories); that is, it is information that the teacher is often not even aware of (although it can be found in research, e.g., through an interview). Of course, practical knowledge or theory as concepts do not require that they be connected to scientific research or theory.</p> <p>Furthermore, we were interested in examining the role of teacher self-efficacy in ECE teachers' pedagogical practices and implementation. Perren et al. ([<reflink idref="bib46" id="ref91">46</reflink>]) suggest that educational practices could be fostered by strengthening ECE teachers' self-efficacy. Despite the fact that legislation (Act 540/2018) indicates the pedagogical responsibility of the teacher, studies in Finnish ECE reveal that ECE teachers have varied dispositions toward leadership, and their position as leaders in ECE communities has been unclear (Heikka et al., [<reflink idref="bib23" id="ref92">23</reflink>], [<reflink idref="bib25" id="ref93">25</reflink>], [<reflink idref="bib26" id="ref94">26</reflink>]). The findings of this study indicated that ECE teachers in general had a high level of self-efficacy in pedagogical activities, although between-person variance in the responses suggests that not all teachers felt equally confident in acting as pedagogical leaders among their staff teams. According to Perren et al. ([<reflink idref="bib46" id="ref95">46</reflink>]), the feel of self-efficacy enables ECE professionals to take care of troubles with more confidence and calm, which gives them an opportunity to act with their best competence. Our study highlighted the meaning of pedagogical dispositions in explaining interindividual differences in leadership, showing that teachers with the highest self-efficacy in pedagogical activities felt more capable of taking on a leadership role on their teams. The strongest of the predictors for pedagogical leadership was self-efficacy in pedagogical approaches. The findings also revealed that the use of educational theories and studies by the teachers supports the implementation of ECE and its quality in the practical activities. This is a positive result as it shows that teachers rely on research knowledge in their work. Similarly, in the study of Perren et al. ([<reflink idref="bib46" id="ref96">46</reflink>]), domain-specific knowledge was linked to ECE professionals' child-centered educational practice and to their self-efficacy. In addition to increasing the quality of educational practice, ECE professionals' self-efficacy can be thought of as a factor for a high professional standard (Perren et al., [<reflink idref="bib46" id="ref97">46</reflink>]).</p> <p>When interpreting the findings of our study, some limitations should be considered. First, since our data were cross-sectional, we cannot draw conclusions on causal relations between the variables. Although the associations between the constructs were hypothesized based on previous research, longitudinal research designs are needed to confirm the direction and strength of these effects over time. Second, our reliance solely on self-report measures may cause common-method bias. In future studies, this can be reduced by using multiple informants, such as colleagues, parents of the children, or observers. Third, the generalizability of our results may be limited by the size and representativeness of the sample. Using larger and more heterogeneous samples could help in confirming the found associations, for example, among less experienced ECE teachers. Finally, we did not consider the role of other personal factors, such as ECE teachers' work engagement, work well-being, or context-related factors, such as ECE center climate or collegial support. To better understand the foundations of teacher self-efficacy and its role in ECE teachers' pedagogical practices, future studies should consider personal and context-related factors simultaneously.</p> <p>This research provides new and important information about the research context, which is not related to similar previous empirical research. The hypothetical model is mostly supported by the data. In other words, sources of the socio-cognitive theory mainly act as predictors for teacher self-efficacy. However, vicarious experiences form an exception in the model. In the past, the contribution of educational theory and research to teacher self-efficacy in the context of early childhood education has also not been investigated. At least, the active use of theory in activity planning and the importance of beliefs about pedagogical approaches will emerge through this study.</p> <p>Teachers' collective self-efficacy, which includes a social dimension, is at least as fruitful a factor and concept as the teacher's personal self-efficacy. This is demonstrated in a study (Karakose et al., [<reflink idref="bib32" id="ref98">32</reflink>]), where, based on quite extensive data, it was possible to detect the connections of school management (principal instructional leadership) with the teachers' self-efficacy and their collective efficacy, both of which have been found to be significant factors in maintaining the teaching quality. Furthermore, Kouhsari et al. ([<reflink idref="bib35" id="ref99">35</reflink>]) conducted a study about primary school teachers' beliefs and enthusiasm; they found that school climate significantly contributed to teachers' enthusiasm. Furthermore, collective teacher efficacy had a more powerful mediating effect than teacher self-efficacy on the relationship between aspects of school climate and teachers' enthusiasm. These very recent studies also show that a teacher's self-efficacy – even though it is a personal belief – interacts in many ways with different factors in teaching and education. In the future, the research should be expanded to such and largely social factors that were not investigated in our study: commitment to working life, well-being at work, the atmosphere of the ECE center, and collegial study. Also, the children's interaction with the teacher, as well as their mutual interaction, are probably key factors in how the work atmosphere and the teacher's self-efficacy are built interactively. All of this has a bearing on what the quality of early childhood education will be like.</p> <hd id="AN0185036416-17">Author Contribution</hd> <p>All authors contributed to the study conception and design.</p> <hd id="AN0185036416-18">Funding</hd> <p>No funding was received to assist with the preparation of this manuscript.</p> <p>Open access funding provided by University of Eastern Finland (including Kuopio University Hospital).</p> <hd id="AN0185036416-19">Declarations</hd> <p></p> <hd id="AN0185036416-20">Ethics Approval</hd> <p>This study was performed in line with the ethical principles of the Finnish National Board on Research Integrity TENK guidelines, university guidelines, and Finnish legislation. 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  Data: Teacher Efficacy, Its Sources, and Implementation in Early Childhood Education
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Harri+Pitkäniemi%22">Harri Pitkäniemi</searchLink> (ORCID <externalLink term="http://orcid.org/0000-0001-9783-9213">0000-0001-9783-9213</externalLink>)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Riikka+Hirvonen%22">Riikka Hirvonen</searchLink> (ORCID <externalLink term="http://orcid.org/0000-0001-5348-4801">0000-0001-5348-4801</externalLink>)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Johanna+Heikka%22">Johanna Heikka</searchLink> (ORCID <externalLink term="http://orcid.org/0000-0002-0712-0801">0000-0002-0712-0801</externalLink>)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Katja+Suhonen%22">Katja Suhonen</searchLink> (ORCID <externalLink term="http://orcid.org/0000-0002-2627-7994">0000-0002-2627-7994</externalLink>)
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="SO" term="%22Early+Childhood+Education+Journal%22"><i>Early Childhood Education Journal</i></searchLink>. 2025 53(5):1705-1715.
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  Data: Springer. Available from: Springer Nature. One New York Plaza, Suite 4600, New York, NY 10004. Tel: 800-777-4643; Tel: 212-460-1500; Fax: 212-460-1700; e-mail: customerservice@springernature.com; Web site: https://link.springer.com/
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  Data: 11
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  Data: Journal Articles<br />Reports - Research
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="EL" term="%22Early+Childhood+Education%22">Early Childhood Education</searchLink>
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Teacher+Effectiveness%22">Teacher Effectiveness</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Self+Efficacy%22">Self Efficacy</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Early+Childhood+Education%22">Early Childhood Education</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Early+Childhood+Teachers%22">Early Childhood Teachers</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Foreign+Countries%22">Foreign Countries</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Teacher+Attitudes%22">Teacher Attitudes</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Self+Evaluation+%28Individuals%29%22">Self Evaluation (Individuals)</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Predictor+Variables%22">Predictor Variables</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Educational+Planning%22">Educational Planning</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Program+Implementation%22">Program Implementation</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Leadership%22">Leadership</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Mastery+Learning%22">Mastery Learning</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Arousal+Patterns%22">Arousal Patterns</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Teacher+Student+Relationship%22">Teacher Student Relationship</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Social+Influences%22">Social Influences</searchLink>
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Finland%22">Finland</searchLink>
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  Data: 10.1007/s10643-024-01713-w
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  Label: ISSN
  Group: ISSN
  Data: 1082-3301<br />1573-1707
– Name: Abstract
  Label: Abstract
  Group: Ab
  Data: The aim of the study is to comprehensively analyze the interrelationships between teacher efficacy, the sources of self-efficacy, and implementation of early childhood education (ECE). The assumption is that according to socio-cognitive theory, source categories predict the self-efficacy of educational staff. According to a few previous research results, knowledge of theories and research in the field of education also contributes to a professional's self-efficacy. In this study, 202 Finnish ECE teachers evaluated their self-efficacy and its sources (mastery experiences, vicarious experiences, social persuasion, and physiological arousal) as well as their pedagogical planning, implementation, and leadership. A path analysis was conducted to estimate the sources of self-efficacy and active and reactive use of educational research as predictors of teacher self-efficacy, and further, of self-efficacy as a predictor of teachers' pedagogical planning, implementation, and leadership. The findings showed that mastery experiences, social persuasion, and physiological arousal were positively related to self-efficacy in pedagogical approaches, group management, and child engagement. Intentional use of educational theory and research was positively related to self-efficacy in pedagogical approaches. Furthermore, the quality of pedagogical planning, implementation, and leadership were predicted by high self-efficacy in pedagogical approaches, but implementation also by social persuasion and active use of theory and research.
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  Data: 2025
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  Data: EJ1470520
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        Value: 10.1007/s10643-024-01713-w
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      – Text: English
    PhysicalDescription:
      Pagination:
        PageCount: 11
        StartPage: 1705
    Subjects:
      – SubjectFull: Teacher Effectiveness
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Self Efficacy
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Early Childhood Education
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Early Childhood Teachers
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Foreign Countries
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Teacher Attitudes
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Self Evaluation (Individuals)
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Predictor Variables
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Educational Planning
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      – SubjectFull: Program Implementation
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Leadership
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Mastery Learning
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Arousal Patterns
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Teacher Student Relationship
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Social Influences
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Finland
        Type: general
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      – TitleFull: Teacher Efficacy, Its Sources, and Implementation in Early Childhood Education
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              Y: 2025
          Identifiers:
            – Type: issn-print
              Value: 1082-3301
            – Type: issn-electronic
              Value: 1573-1707
          Numbering:
            – Type: volume
              Value: 53
            – Type: issue
              Value: 5
          Titles:
            – TitleFull: Early Childhood Education Journal
              Type: main
ResultId 1