Science teaching self‐efficacy may be one area of importance which has been over‐looked in implementing change to improve science teaching in elementary schools. This qualitative study was designed to examine factors which influence personal science teaching efficacy and science teaching outcome expectancy in elementary teachers. Based on Bandura's psychological construct of self‐efficacy, science teaching self‐efficacy has been related to teachers' belief in their ability to teach science, called personal science teaching efficacy (PSTE), and their belief in students' ability to learn, called science teaching outcome expectancy (STOE). Data were collected from 23 elementary teachers involved in a project to enhance science, mathematics, and technology education. Initially, data on variables identified as related to science teaching self‐efficacy were collected and triangulated from several self‐reporting instruments, including the Science Teaching Efficacy Beliefs Instrument, In‐service version (STEBI‐A) Teachers' scores on personal science teaching efficacy (PSTE) and science teaching outcome expectancy (STOE), two subscales of the STEBI‐A, along with other data were used to develop in depth interview questions. Ten of the teachers, with varying PSTE and STOE levels (high, moderate, and low), were purposefully selected for interviews regarding their teacher preparation, professional development, and science‐related antecedent experiences. The qualitative data analysis methods of constant‐comparison and clustering were used to identify patterns and themes within the interview data. Qualitative analysis of triangulated data provided insights as to development of PSTE and STOE. Results of the interview analysis revealed more definitive findings for the dimension of personal science teaching efficacy than for science teaching outcome expectancy. Theme in the data indicated that antecedent experiences influenced interest in science teaching. Preservice and in‐service experiences such as success in high quality science courses and workshops, access to a lesser degree STOE. Findings on experiences which influenced STOE were limited. Implications for early science experiences, teacher preparation and teacher professional development are presented. Recommendations for further research are made for PSTE and STOE. © 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

This qualitative theoretical study was conducted in response to the current need for an inclusive and comprehensive model to guide the preparation and assessment of teacher candidates for culturally responsive teaching. The process of developing a model of culturally responsive teaching involved three steps: a comprehensive review of the liter ature; a synthesis of the literature into thematic categories to capture the dispositions and behaviors of culturally responsive teaching; and the piloting of these thematic categories with teacher candidates to validate the usefulness of the categories and to generate specific exemplars of behavior to represent each category. The model of culturally responsive teaching contains five thematic categories: (1) content integration, (2) facilitating knowledge construction, (3) prejudice reduction, (4) social justice, and (5) academic development. The current model is a promising tool for comprehensively defining culturally responsive teaching in the context of teacher education as well as to guide curriculum and assessment changes aimed to increase candidates' culturally responsive knowledge and skills in science and mathematics teaching.

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This qualitative multiple case study focused on eleven nontraditional, bilingual, Latinas within a teacher education program. The study explored various factors that influenced participants' desire to pursue and ability to persist as pre-service teachers. The overarching theme identified among participant discourse was personal agency inspired by hardship. Findings indicated that, as a result of their cultural and experiential understandings, participants enacted culturally responsive teaching with their Latino/a students. Furthermore, participants demonstrated a strong sense of personal agency to improve the educational outcomes of culturally and linguistically diverse students and a desire to advocate specifically on behalf of English learner Latino/a students.