title: Modeling Sources of Teaching Self-Efficacy for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Graduate Teaching Assistants.
abstract: Graduate teaching assistants (GTAs) in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) have a large impact on undergraduate instruction but are often poorly prepared to teach. Teaching self-efficacy, an instructor's belief in his or her ability to teach specific student populations a specific subject, is an important predictor of teaching skill and student achievement. A model of sources of teaching self-efficacy is developed from the GTA literature. This model indicates that teaching experience, departmental teaching climate (including peer and supervisor relationships), and GTA professional development (PD) can act as sources of teaching self-efficacy. The model is pilot tested with 128 GTAs from nine different STEM departments at a midsized research university. Structural equation modeling reveals that K-12 teaching experience, hours and perceived quality of GTA PD, and perception of the departmental facilitating environment are significant factors that explain 32% of the variance in the teaching self-efficacy of STEM GTAs. This model highlights the important contributions of the departmental environment and GTA PD in the development of teaching self-efficacy for STEM GTAs.
authors.affiliation: *School of Biological Sciences, University of Northern Colorado, Greeley, CO 80639 SueEllen.DeChenne@unco.edu.
authors.forename: Sue Ellen
authors.initials: SE
authors.lastname: DeChenne
authors.affiliation: Department of Educational Psychology, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE 68588.
authors.forename: Natalie
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Koziol
authors.affiliation: Department of Forest Ecosystems and Society, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR 97331.
authors.forename: Mark
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Needham
authors.affiliation: College of Education, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR 97331.
authors.forename: Larry
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Enochs
mesh_terms: D003071:Cognition; D004500:Education, Graduate / Q000458:organization & administration*; D004738:Engineering / Q000193:education; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007858:Learning; D008297:Male; D008433:Mathematics / Q000193:education; D017145:Models, Educational; D012106:Research; D012586:Science / Q000193:education; D020377:Self Efficacy; D013334:Students; D013663:Teaching; D013672:Technology / Q000193:education; D014495:Universities