EXPLORING RELATIONSHIPS OF TEACHERS’ SENSE OF EFFICACY IN TWO STUDENT TEACHING PROGRAMS

Teacher educators seek to know which personal and environmental factors influence student teachers’ confidence and performance. Two university-based agricultural student teaching programs were compared to determine differences in personal factors, environmental factors, and teachers’ sense of efficacy. Student teachers entered their student teaching experiences already feeling efficacious, and their sense of efficacy did not change at the end of the student teaching experience. Student teachers’ perception of the student teaching experience was related to their sense of efficacy. Student teachers in the two programs were similarly efficacious, yet they were different on four personal and environmental factors. Student teachers are likely influenced by a variety of sources of self-efficacy. Student teachers from Ohio State University taught fewer class preparations and were more involved in agricultural education as high school students. Student teachers from the University of Illinois perceived their principals as being more supportive and their cooperating teachers as being more competent.