Teacher Evaluation Feedback and Instructional Practice Self-Efficacy in Secondary School Teachers

Abstract

Purpose: This study, which investigated the relationship between veteran secondary school teacher perceptions of evaluation feedback and self-efficacy of instructional practice, was driven by the research question: What is the relationship among evaluation processes, teacher perceptions of evaluation feedback, and veteran secondary education teacher self-efficacy toward personal instructional practice? Method: Participants were recruited from two school districts in west central Florida. The study tested two hypotheses. Hypothesis 1: Veteran secondary teachers self-efficacy of instructional practice will be related to both evaluation system type (standard vs. nonstandard) and specificity of feedback (high vs. low specificity). Hypothesis 2: Veteran secondary school teacher perceptions of the characteristics of evaluation feedback will predict teacher self-efficacy toward personal instructional practice. The study instrument included the Teachers’ Sense of Efficacy Scale (TSES; Tschannen-Moran & Hoy, 2001) and additional feedback-related questions. Teachers were recruited through gatekeepers at the two districts and invited to take the online survey. Results: In a test of Hypothesis 1, analysis of variance revealed that teachers who reported receiving specific evaluation feedback also reported higher teacher self-efficacy compared with teachers who reported receiving nonspecific evaluation feedback, although there were no differences related to standard versus nonstandard evaluation systems. To test Hypothesis 2, multiple regression analysis showed the perceived value of feedback to be the strongest predictor of teacher self-efficacy. Conclusions: These findings, which link teacher perceptions of evaluation feedback to teacher self-efficacy of instructional practice, have the potential to inform the creation of improved professional development practices.