Determinants of Mathematics teaching self-efficacy of Pre-Service teachers in Primary Teachers’ Colleges in Busoga Sub-Region in Uganda.

Abstract

The characteristics of teachers with high mathematics teaching self-efficacy, including motivating even the most difficult students to learn mathematics, make it a desired teacher training outcome. For that reason, understanding the relationships between the sources of self-efficacy (performance accomplishment, vicarious experiences, verbal persuasion, and emotional arousal) and mathematics teaching self-efficacy informs mathematics teacher educators the best ways to develop the pre-service teachers’ sense of high mathematics teaching self-efficacy. The purpose of this study was to investigate how the four sources of self-efficacy relate to mathematics teaching self-efficacy of pre-service teachers in primary teachers’ colleges in Busoga sub-region, in Eastern Uganda. The cross-sectional survey design with a sample of 203 pre-service teachers was used. A self-administered questionnaire soliciting responses on mathematics teaching self-efficacy and experiences that influence the pre-service teachers’ belief in their ability to teach mathematics was used for data collection. Spearman’s rho correlation and ordinal regression analysis were used to specify the relationships between the four sources of self-efficacy and mathematics teaching self-efficacy of the pre-service teachers. Findings from this study indicate that each of the four sources of self-efficacy (performance accomplishment, rs = 0.424, p ˂.001; vicarious experiences, rs = 0.237, p = .001; verbal persuasion, rs = 0.312, p ˂.001; and emotional arousal, rs = 0.401, p ˂.001) had a significant positive relationship with mathematics teaching self-efficacy. Performance accomplishment experiences such as planning mathematics lessons, and teaching mathematics lessons were the most highly rated to positively influence the pre-service teachers’ mathematics teaching self-efficacy. Most surprising was that the teacher trainees’ look up to their mathematics tutors to model excellent mathematics teaching. Explorative studies will help enlighten more experiences that positively influence the pre-servicer teachers’ mathematics teaching self-efficacy.