Variables associated to the self-efficacy perceived by Spanish Secondary School Science Teachers

Teacher self-efficacy is one of the main factors associated with professional performance of teachers, quality of teaching and learning outcomes achieved by students. In this paper we have analyzed the efficacy of Spanish science teachers and their relation to other features of the teacher and the environment in which they teach. We used data from the 2013 study TALIS (Teaching and Learning International Survey) promoted by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). The Spanish sample amounted to 3422 teachers, of whom 590 teach science subjects. We have described the perceived self-efficacy in this group of science teachers, we compare the means obtained in efficacy variables for teaching science and other subjects, and we have identified the variables that contribute most to explain the sense of efficacy in three domains: classroom management, teaching, and student engagement. To do this we have calculated the correlations between teacher self-efficacy and other variables, and we have applied a regression analysis with more than one dependent variable, by using a multivariate general linear model (GLM). The results show higher levels of self-confidence for teaching and lower levels in self-confidence for student involvement. The most significant variables in explaining self-confidence have proved to be cooperation between teachers, perceived climate of discipline in the classroom, professional development needs in the areas of science and teaching, and constructivist beliefs. However, the predictors behave differently depending on the type of efficacy being explained. From the results, some proposals have been made for the improvement of teaching self-efficacy to science teachers.