Teachers` Efficacy Beliefs in Identifying and Teaching Gifted
The Second International Conference for Gifted and Talented “Towards National Strategy for Enhancing Creativity” College of Education, UAEU 19 -21 May, 2015 Teachers’ Efficacy Beliefs in Identifying and Teaching Gifted Students in the Sultanate of Oman Dr. Said Aldhafri Director of Student Counseling Center & Associate Professor Sultan Qaboos University, Oman Abstract The current study examines teachers’ efficacy beliefs in identifying and teaching gifted and talented students in the Sultanate of Oman. Very little empirical research, if any, has focused on the general-education teachers’ ability on identifying and teaching the gifted and talented students. Teachers represent the core in any efforts to provide optimal environment for gifted students. Teacher efficacy is found to influence teachers’ willingness to differentiate instructions for gifted students. The sample consisted of 106 Omani teachers from different school districts in the Sultanate of Oman. The participants responded to an electronic questionnaire that measures teachers’ efficacy beliefs about identifying and teaching gifted students in the public school sector. The questionnaire consists of (14) items with a 5-point Likert scale type of responses. The questionnaire showed good internal reliability alpha coefficient (α = 0.92). The results show that the participants have high level of efficacy beliefs (df = 105, t = 11.59, p≤ 0.001) in identifying and teaching gifted students, with no gender differences (df = 104, t = 36 The Second International Conference for Gifted and Talented “Towards National Strategy for Enhancing Creativity” College of Education, UAEU 19 -21 May, 2015 0.532, p = 0.596). In contrast, there were some statistically significant differences based on academic qualifications favoring high degree teachers (master and doctorate) when compared to bachelor degree teachers. The study also shows that as the levels of loving teaching increases, teachers’ efficacy beliefs increase (r = 0.316, p = 0.001). The findings are discussed with application related to establishing optimal learning environment that supports gifted and talented students. (238 words). Keywords: gifted student, teacher efficacy beliefs, Oman Introduction The ability to identify and teach gifted students represents an important step in providing optimal learning environment that supports the learning of these gifted students. Teachers in regular classes face many challenges in accommodating individual differences among their students especially in large classes settings. These challenges become more permanent if these teachers are expected to provide special attention and appropriate instructions for their gifted students. Teacher success in these challenges has been related to different personal and professional factors. One important factor in predicting teachers’ success to identify and teach gifted students is their efficacy beliefs about identifying and teaching gifted students (Hong, Greene, & Hartzell, 2011). The current study examines Omani teachers’ efficacy beliefs about their abilities to identify and teach gifted students in their 36 The Second International Conference for Gifted and Talented “Towards National Strategy for Enhancing Creativity” College of Education, UAEU 19 -21 May, 2015 regular classes. The levels of these teachers’ efficacy beliefs are examined across different demographic variables. Teachers’ Efficacy Beliefs Research in teachers’ efficacy beliefs is based on Bandura’s social cognitive theory and the concept of self-efficacy beliefs. Bandura (1993; 1997) defines individual efficacy beliefs as the beliefs about one’s ability to perform specific task. Within teaching context, teachers’ efficacy beliefs are defined as the teachers’ beliefs about their ability to effectively influence their students’ learning (TschannenMoran & Woolfolk Hoy, 2001). In the current study context, teachers’ efficacy beliefs are defined as the teachers’ beliefs about their abilities to identify and teach their gifted students. Cumulative research shows that teachers’ efficacy beliefs are connected with many positive teachers’ and students’ outcomes (Gibson & Dembo, 1984; Pajares, 1996; Soodak & Podell, 1994). In the context of gifted students’ learning, there is an evidence that teachers’ efficacy beliefs can predict teachers’ willingness to differentiate instructions for gifted students (Hong et al., 2011). Methodology The Sample The sample consisted of 106 Omani teachers (59.4%% were females) from different school districts in the Sultanate of Oman. 36 The Second International Conference for Gifted and Talented “Towards National Strategy for Enhancing Creativity” College of Education, UAEU 19 -21 May, 2015 Teachers’ years of experience varied with most teachers having more than ten years of experience (62.3%). The Measure In order to examine teachers’ efficacy beliefs in identifying and teaching gifted students, the researcher constructed a new measure that focuses on teachers’ beliefs about their abilities to identify and teach gifted students. The items of the new scale were based on some related existing measures of efficacy beliefs (Tschannen-Moran & Woolfolk Hoy, 2001). The participants responded to the questionnaire online. A link was generated to the questionnaire and was sent through social media application (i.e., WhatsApp). No identification information was requested from the teachers who responded voluntary to the questionnaire. In addition to some demographic information (gender, qualification, & years of experience), the questionnaire includes (14) items using a 5-point Likert scale. Internal reliability coefficient of 0.92 was obtained. Examples of items are: “To what extent can you motivate gifted students in your class” and “To what extent can you adapt your teaching to meet the needs of gifted students.” Results Data were screened for outliers and none was identified. To examine the levels of teachers’ efficacy beliefs, one-sample t-test was 33 The Second International Conference for Gifted and Talented “Towards National Strategy for Enhancing Creativity” College of Education, UAEU 19 -21 May, 2015 run. The results show that the participants have an overall high level of efficacy beliefs (df = 105, t = 11.59, p≤ 0.001). The levels of efficacy beliefs at item level were also examined. To answer the second question related to variation in teachers’ efficacy beliefs based on demographic variables, a group of independent sample t-tests were run. The results show no gender differences (df = 104, t = 0.532, p = 0.596) in teachers’ efficacy beliefs of identifying and teaching gifted students. Using a One-way ANOVA, differences in teachers’ efficacy beliefs were examined based on academic qualifications. The results show that there were some statistically significant differences based on academic qualifications (df = 103, 2, F = 7.20, p = 0.001) favoring high degree teachers (master and doctorate) when compared to bachelor degree teachers. Table 1 and Table 2 show the results of the One-way ANOVA. To answer the third question of correlation, the researcher used the Pearson correlation coefficient to examine the connection between the levels of loving teaching and teachers’ efficacy beliefs. Positive significant correlation was found (r = 0.316, p = 0.001). Discussion The current study aimed to examine Omani teachers’ efficacy beliefs in identifying and teaching gifted students in regular classroom settings. One hundred-six teachers responded to a 14-item, online 36 The Second International Conference for Gifted and Talented “Towards National Strategy for Enhancing Creativity” College of Education, UAEU 19 -21 May, 2015 questionnaire that examined teachers’ efficacy beliefs in identifying and teaching gifted students. The results showed that these Omani participants have high levels of efficacy beliefs related to identifying and teaching gifted students. Because of the challenges that teachers face when dealing with their students, it is important that these teachers develop high levels of efficacy beliefs that ensure their persistence when faced with teaching challenges. Research shows that these efficacy beliefs act as a buffering scheme for the teachers so that they do not develop burnout (Bandura, 1997). Because gifted students need special attention and care, teachers need to be able to differentiate their instructions to meet the high expectations that usually gifted students have. These efficacy beliefs, however, do not seem to vary across gender. Contrary to previous research that shows female teachers to have higher levels of general efficacy beliefs than male, the current sample of Omani teachers display similar levels of efficacy beliefs regardless of gender. Future research may reexamine this finding. These efficacy beliefs were influenced by the academic degree that teachers have. Teachers holding master and doctorate degrees seem to have higher levels of efficacy beliefs than those with bachelor degree. In addition, as the teachers’ love of teaching increases, their efficacy beliefs increase. This result suggests that teacher education programs need to focus not only on subject-related preparation, but 36 The Second International Conference for Gifted and Talented “Towards National Strategy for Enhancing Creativity” College of Education, UAEU 19 -21 May, 2015 they need to pay more attention towards supporting positive attitude and motivation on preservice teachers. To ensure establishing optimal learning environment that supports gifted and talented students, teachers should be equipped with required skills that enable them to support the learning of their gifted students. Enriching teachers with teaching experiences and providing them with successful models of teaching along with social support and persuasion are expected to enhance their beliefs about their abilities to identify and teach gifted students in their regular classroom settings. 36 The Second International Conference for Gifted and Talented “Towards National Strategy for Enhancing Creativity” College of Education, UAEU 19 -21 May, 2015 References Bandura, A. (1993). Perceived self-efficacy in cognitive development and functioning. Educational Psychologist, 28, 117-148. Bandura, A. (1997). Self-efficacy: The exercise of control. New York: W. H. Freeman. Hong, E., Greene, M., & Hartzell, S. (2011). Cognitive and Motivational Characteristics of Elementary Teachers in General Education Classrooms and in Gifted Programs. Gifted Child Quarterly, 55(4), 250-264. Gibson, S., & Dembo, M. H. (1984). Teacher efficacy: A construct validation. Journal of Educational Psychology, 76, 569-582. Soodak, L. C., & Podell, D. M. (1994). Teachers' thinking about difficult-to-teach students. Journal of Educational Research, 88, 44-51. Pajares, F. (1996). Self-efficacy beliefs in academic settings. Review of Educational Research, 66, 543-578. Tschannen-Moran, M., & Woolfolk Hoy, A. W. (2001). Teacher efficacy: Capturing an elusive construct. Teaching & Teacher Education, 17, 783-805. 67 The Second International Conference for Gifted and Talented “Towards National Strategy for Enhancing Creativity” College of Education, UAEU 19 -21 May, 2015 Table 1 Descriptive Analyses of Emotional Intelligence Based on the categories of Academic Qualification Academic Qualifications N M SD 2 year Diploma 15 3.71 0.45 Bachelor 74 3.50 0.49 Master or above 17 4.02 0.67 Total 106 3.62 0.55 67 The Second International Conference for Gifted and Talented “Towards National Strategy for Enhancing Creativity” College of Education, UAEU 19 -21 May, 2015 Table 2 One way ANOVA for the Effects of Academic Qualifications on Emotional Intelligence Variable Resources Sum of squares DF Mean Square F Sig Between Groups 3.91 2 1.95 7.20 0.001 Within Groups 27.96 103 0.27 Total 31.90 105 67 The Second International Conference for Gifted and Talented ”“Towards National Strategy for Enhancing Creativity College of Education, UAEU 19 -21 May, 2015 معتقدات الكفاءة الذاتية للمعلمين في التعرف على الطلبة الموهوبين وتدريسهم بسلطنة عمان الملخص هدفت هذه الدراسة قياس معتقدات الكفاءة الذاتية للمعلمين حول مقدرتهم التعرف على الطلبة الموهوبين وتدريسهم بالمدارس العامة بسلطنة عمان؛ حيث نجد قلة من الدراسات الميدانية التي ركزت على مدى مقدرة المعلمين العاملين في قطاع التعليم العام على تعرف الطلبة الموهوبين وتدريسهم ،رغم أن المعلمين يمثلون عنص ار مهما في الجهود التي تسعى إلى توفير بيئة مثالية لرعاية الطلبة الموهوبين .وقد دلت الدراسات السابقة أن معتقدات الكفاءة الذاتية تؤثر في مدى استعداد المعلم على تكييف طريقة تدريسه لتناسب الطلبة الموهوبين .وقد تكونت عينة الدراسة الحالية من ( )601معلما ومعلمة من مختلف المناطق التعليمية بسلطنة عمان ،وقد استجاب المعلمون إلى مقياس الكتروني تم إعداده لقياس معتقدات الكفاءة الذاتية للمعلمين حول مقدرتهم التعرف على الطلبة الموهوبين وتدريسهم في مدارس القطاع العام ،وقد تكون المقياس من ( )61عبارة بتدرج خماسي ،وقد اتصفت بيانات المقياس بمعامل ثبات مرتفع (ألفا لكرونباخ = .)0..0أشارت نتائج التحليل اإلحصائي إلى تمتع المعلمين بمستوى عال من معتقدات الكفاءة الذاتية (م = 2.10ع = ،0.00ت للعينة الواحدة = ،66..0 مستوى الداللة أقل من ،)0.006مع عدم وجود فروق دالة إحصائيا في معتقدات الكفاءة الذاتية لتدريس الطلبة الموهبين تعزى إلى النوع االجتماعي (درجة حرية = ،601ت = ،0.020مستوى داللة = .)0.0.1في المقابل ،أشارت النتائج إلى وجود فروق دالة إحصائيا في مستوى معتقدات الكفاءة الذاتية تعزى للمؤهل الدراسي لصالح حملة الشهادات العليا (الماجستير والدكتوراة) عند المقارنة بحملة البكالوريوس ،كما دلت النتائج على وجود عالقة موجبة دالة إحصائيا بين معتقدات الكفاءة الذاتية ومستوى حب المعلم للتدريس (ر = ،0.261مستوى داللة = .)0.006وسوف يناقش البحث النتائج وتطبيقاتها المتصلة بضرورة توفير بيئة تعلم مالئمة تدعم الطلبة الموهوبين 002( .كلمة). الكلمات المفتاحية :تدريس الطلبة الموهوبين ،معتقدات الكفاءة الذاتية للمعلمين ،سلطنة عمان 66
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