MONITORING STUDENT-TEACHERS FEELINGS OF PREPAREDNESS TO TEACH, PERSONAL TEACHING EFFICACY, AND TEACHING EFFICACY IN A NEW SECONDARY TEACHER-EDUCATION PROGRAM

Student teachers' feelings of preparedness to teach as measured on the PREP Scale (Housego, 1990b), personal teaching efficacy, and teaching efficacy as measured on the Gibson Scale of Teacher Efficacy (Gibson & Dembo, 1984) were monitored across the second offering of the revised UBC secondary teacher education program, 1988-1989, term by term, for the total group and subject specialzation and gender subgroups. Total group and all subgroup PREP, personal teaching efficacy, and teaching efficacy mean scores increased significantly in first term. In second term total group mean PREP scores increased significantly but mean personal teaching efficacy and teaching efficacy scores did not. In third term neither mean PREP scores nor personal teaching efficacy nor teaching efficacy mean scores increased significantly. The findings for the four subject specialization subgroups were similar. All PREP Scale mean scores increased significantly in first term, two increased significantly in second term and none increased significantly in third term. Two subgroups recorded significant increases in personal teaching efficacy in first term; none were recorded beyond that point. No subject specialization subgroup recorded significant increases in teaching efficacy at any point; indeed, one subgroup recorded significant decreases during terms two and three. Both male and female PREP Scale mean scores increased in terms one and two but not three. Personal teaching efficacy mean scores increased significantly for both gender groups in first term, for females in second term (the practicum), and for neither group in third term. Neither subgroup recorded significant increases in teaching efficacy at any point. Implications for teacher education are discussed.