Self-Efficacy and Commitment Among Music Student Teachers

Abstract

Abstract The purpose of this study was to investigate the network of relationships among sources of self-efficacy, teaching efficacy (comprising music teaching efficacy and classroom management efficacy), and commitment to teaching among music student teachers. A secondary purpose was to examine how participants described influences on their teaching efficacy and commitment through open-ended responses. Participants were music student teachers (N=125) from universities across the United States. Results revealed that student teachers at the elementary level felt significantly more efficacious than those teaching at the secondary level. In the context of this study, verbal/social persuasion explained the most amount of variation among music teaching efficacy, while physiological state explained the most amount of variation in classroom management efficacy. These findings vary from previous research that has pointed to mastery experiences as the most impactful source of self-efficacy. Path analyses indicated that those with relatively stronger feelings of music teaching efficacy also tended to have stronger feelings of commitment to the music teaching profession as well as an increased sense of classroom management efficacy. Open-ended responses indicated that participants felt verbal/social persuasions were the most impactful on their sense of confidence as a teacher, while past music teachers were the most common influence on student teachers’ sense of professional commitment.