Self-efficacy questionnaire (Stage 2). Self-efficacy is part of Social Cognitive
Theory (SCT) (Bandura, 1986). SCT suggests that social, cognitive and behavioural
factors play an important part in an individual’s choice to adhere to, or to avoid
situations. Within SCT, self-efficacy can be described as an individual’s belief in his or
her ability to perform a particular behaviour in a variety of circumstances (Bandura,
1997). Self-efficacy beliefs are highly correlated with whether teachers will enact
curricular reform (McCaughtry et al., 2006). Professional development programmes
that successfully influence self-efficacy beliefs include a focus on new subject content,
active learning for teachers, follow-up support and an emphasis on teachers’ needs
(Ingvarson et al., 2005). Teacher self-efficacy was observed as a mediator of teaching
performance at stage 1 of the PDP. Hence, a researcher-developed self-efficacy
questionnaire was administered to teachers prior to and post their teaching of the
O&AA strand at stage 2 (Appendix U). Its purpose was to assess any change in
teachers’ self-efficacy beliefs as a result of the PDP. All eight domains of the PDP were
included; on methodologies there was planning, equipment organisation and class
management of an O&AA lesson and on content knowledge warm up games, stretching,
challenges, orienteering and walking activities specific to O&AA were assessed.
Teachers were asked to rate their level of perceived confidence in their ability to teach a
specific domain of the PDP on a scale from 1-10, where 1 rated as ‘not at all confident’
to ‘10’ indicating ‘extremely confident’. The data were analysed descriptively using
means and standard deviations. In order to test differences between time 1 and time 2,
either a paired samples t-test, or a Wilcoxin signed ranks (for non-parametric data) was
employed, using SPSS 17.0.
