Since the RAND corporation study of more than three decades ago, researchers have continued to demonstrate that a teacher's sense of efficacy is one of few teacher characteristics related to student achievement. So what helps to build teacher self-efficacy? In recent years, researchers have established that experiences such as student teaching are highly influential in the development of teacher self-efficacy as well as the degree and type of support that student teachers receive. Furthermore, establishing a strong belief in one's abilities to perform teaching tasks during the preservice teacher stage seems to have more of an impact than waiting until after a teacher is already in the classroom. These findings stress the important role and responsibility that teacher preparation programs play in developing and securing high teacher efficacy at a most influential time. Yet there are still many unanswered questions regarding how teacher preparation programs influence teacher self-efficacy. This book presents a timely study which looks at teacher self-efficacy at the conclusion of teacher training and tracks teachers into the classroom and to the end of their first year of teaching.

Dr. Sarah Clark is an Assistant Professor of Literacy. She received her Ph.D. in Curriculum and Instruction from Utah State University with an emphasis in teacher education and reading. Her research interests include teacher preparation, teacher knowledge, teacher self-efficacy, and teacher influenceon student reading achievement.