Abstract:

The purpose of this study was to (a) construct a scale to assess the sources of self- efficacy information preservice teachers obtained from various sources to develop their self-efficacy beliefs to teach culturally and linguistically diverse students, and (b) explore the contributions of the information from the sources to preservice teachers’ cultural responsiveness self-efficacy beliefs. Three hundred twenty nine preservice teachers completed a survey package including the three instruments of (a) the Academic and Demographic Questionnaire, (b) the Sources of Multicultural Efficacy Scale (SMES), (c) Teachers’ Sense of Multicultural Efficacy Scale (TSMES). In this investigation, an initial scale was developed consisting of three-factor scale to assess the dimensions of the sources of self-efficacy to teach Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Students with a selected sample of 310 preservice teachers. The analysis revealed a three-factor model that seems to partially reflect the conceptualized sources of self-efficacy beliefs as suggested by Bandura in 1997(a) performance accomplishment; (b) vicarious experience; (c) verbal persuasion; and (d) emotional arousal. Moreover, findings from this study revealed that performance accomplishment and vicarious experience both loaded into one single factor labeled experience. Among the five factors entered into the multiple regression in order to predict preservice teachers’ self-efficacy beliefs to teach culturally and linguistically diverse students, only verbal persuasion factor showed significance. The findings of the study suggested that the amount and the quality of encouraging feedback and verbal persuasive discourse received either from teachers, parents, or peers played an important role in enhancing preservice teachers’ self-efficacy beliefs to teach CLDS. In conclusion verbal persuasion regardless of its originators (teachers, parents, colleagues, or peers) is a significant predictor of self-efficacy beliefs. Therefore, teacher preparation programs should pay careful attention to the importance of this factor and acknowledge its positive impact on future teachers. These teacher training programs should expose their trainees to various opportunities of interaction with experienced teachers. Additionally, the positive reinforcements and the encouraging massages delivered by teacher trainers should be objective and provided only when it is needed. Trainers should not exaggerate praise for any type of accomplishments, as this may help preservice teachers develop erroneous assumptions about their abilities and their self-efficacy beliefs to teach if verbal persuasion is well demonstrated by teacher preparation programs, this can play a pivotal role in enhancing preservice teachers’ self-efficacy to teach culturally and linguistically diverse students.

Keywords:

Self-Efficacy, Preservice teachers, factor analysis.