Teacher self-efficacy in Cape Town : a bottom up approach to enhancing the quality of education

Abstract

Personal teacher self-efficacy (PTE), or the belief in one's own ability to overcome a particular challenge, often acts as a catalyst for teachers to improve the effectiveness of their teaching. Gaining PTE can translate into better classroom practices, thus affecting student learning and other educational outcomes (Keenan, 2005). However, the multitude of external challenges faced by teachers, especially those who teach in disadvantaged areas in developing countries such as township schools in South Africa, can overwhelm teachers and consequently lower their self-efficacy. Since the South African government neither has the resources nor the political capital to address this concern alone, reform efforts may require the expertise of and collaboration with civil society organizations. The purpose of this study is to analyze the Cape Town Teacher Training Program (CT3P)' teacher training program and its impacts on teacher self-efficacy. A 22-question survey was completed by 81 educators in ten different township schools in the Metro South district of Cape Town, South Africa. Using statistical analysis, the study finds that there was a high baseline level of self-efficacy across the board among the CT3P-trained teachers, their untrained colleagues, and educators in comparable township schools. The study also finds no statistically significant difference in the mean levels of self-efficacy between those who participated in the CT3P program and those who did not. However, the semi-structured interviews with 20 teachers provide substantive evidence that CT3P may in fact make an impact on teacher self-efficacy.