SELF-EFFICACY BELIEFS OF ELEMENTARY TEACHERS AND SCHOOL PRINCIPALS FOR CHARACTER EDUCATION


Demirel M.

HACETTEPE UNIVERSITESI EGITIM FAKULTESI DERGISI-HACETTEPE UNIVERSITY JOURNAL OF EDUCATION, sa.37, ss.36-49, 2009 (SSCI) identifier identifier

Özet

This research aims at determining elementary teachers' and school principals' self-efficacy beliefs concerning character education and establishing whether or not there is a significant difference between the two groups. The research sample is composed of 311 elementary teachers in addition to 180 administrators who are employed in the central districts of Ankara. The 24-item character education self-efficacy scale developed by Milson and Mehlig (2002) was translated into Turkish and used in the research. The distribution of responses given to the scale by both the teachers and the school principals signaled high belief in efficacy. It was concluded through research findings that teachers' self-efficacy beliefs did not differ on the basis of such variables as gender, seniority, educational status, experience in administration, the number of students in the classroom, and attending in-service training in character education. On the other hand, it was found that the teachers self-efficacy beliefs differed significantly on the basis of grade level taught. Additionally, the school principals' self-efficacy beliefs in character education did not differ in terms of gender, seniority, educational status, length of administrative tasks, and whether or not receiving in-service education in character education. Research findings revealed that experience in administration affected self-efficacy beliefs concerning character education in a positive way. A significant difference in personal, general and total efficacy between the teachers' and school principals' self-efficacy score averages was available in favour of the school principals.