Do Teacher Perceptions of School Working Contexts Contribute to the Quality of Teacher-Student Interactions in the Classroom?

Abstract

Advisor: Sara Rimm-KaufmanThe purpose of this study was to: (a) examine the underlying factor structure for collective teacher efficacy, (b) describe individual teacher perceptions of collective efficacy, as well as correlation patterns with classroom observation scores, and (c) analyze the strength of association between the collective efficacy perceptions of 392 fourth-and fifth-grade teachers and their scored observed interactions with students in the classroom. This study is the first to examine individual teacher perceptions of collective efficacy as a member of a teaching team and their observed performance in the classroom. Three stages of analyses were conducted to obtain results.