A Study on PGDE Student-Teacher Efficacy Beliefs in the Sri Lankan Context

The main purpose of this study was to determine the self-efficacy beliefs of the student-teachers in the context of Sri Lanka. The respondents consisted of 471 student-teachers from seven study centres of Post Graduate Diploma in Education (PGDE) Programme of the Open University of Sri Lanka. The study employed an adapted questionnaire based on the Teacher Self-Efficacy Scale. Findings from the analysis showed that the self-efficacy of student-teachers in student engagement (M=7.07, SD=.94), instructional strategies (M=7.4, SD=.91) and classroom management (M=7.2, SD=1.0) remained high. Outcomes from the t-test did not indicate significant differences between the male (M=7.03, SD=.930; M=7.3, SD=.836; M=7.17, SD=1.03) and female (M=7.09, SD=.953; M=7.46, SD=.945; M=7.2, SD=.996) PGDE student teachers in terms of student engagement, instructional strategies and classroom management. Findings from the one-way ANOVA showed a significant difference in student engagement based on the experience of teachers (F=3.4; df=3.471; p=.018). No significant differences among other groups based on the medium of instruction and qualifications of the student-teachers were found. Approximately 78% of the student-teachers stated that they developed the knowledge and skills related to self-efficacy from the various subjects of the PGDE programme. The study suggests several strategies which need to be incorporated in the PGDE programme to enhance the self-efficacy of student-teachers in their teaching–learning process.