From adolescent angst to adulthood: Substantive implications and measurement dilemmas in the development of teacher efficacy research

Founded in social cognitive theory, teachers' self-efficacy beliefs have been repeatedly associated with positive teaching behaviors and student outcomes. However, teacher efficacy has developed a storied history regarding construct validity and measurement integrity. Study of teacher efficacy now stands on the verge of maturity, but such developmental growth will likely be contingent on development of strong theoretical models and effective instrumentation to assess theoretical constructs. The purpose of this article is to (a) briefly review the theoretical foundation of teacher efficacy and critically evaluate historical attempts to measure teacher efficacy, (b) discuss important substantive implications stemming from efficacy research that may advance the field, (c) present recent measurement advances, and (d) highlight several methodologies that have been underutilized in development of teacher efficacy instruments.