Traditional Versus Alternative Pathways to Certification: Assessing Differences in Music Teacher Self-Efficacy

Abstract

Teacher-credentialing policy debates often center on questions of whether traditional or alternative pathways to teacher certification better position future teachers for success. Given the growing number of teachers entering the profession via alternative pathways, we sought to compare the self-efficacy of alternatively and traditionally certified music teachers using a sample from Texas ( n = 143). Our findings indicated that traditionally and alternatively certified music teachers reported comparable levels of self-efficacy. We also found that, regardless of certification pathway, teachers with 10 or fewer years of experience reported lower self-efficacy than teachers with 11 or more years of experience. We conclude that alternative pathways to certification may offer a viable entry point into the profession and may be particularly advantageous in diversifying the teacher pool and addressing areas of music teacher shortages. We also offer recommendations for cultivating high self-efficacy in preservice teachers, irrespective of certification pathway, as well as avenues for future study of the alternative pathway.