Relationship between Career and Technical Education Student Teachers' Self-Efficacy and edTPA Performance

Abstract

The edTPA, a validated teacher performance assessment, is being used across the nation to assess the readiness of career and technical education (CTE) student teachers for a successful career in education. The purpose of this study was to gain a better understanding of the relationship between edTPA and both Technology and Agricultural Education student teacher's self-efficacy throughout their student teaching. This quasi-experimental study compared mean of self-efficacy as measured by the Teacher Self-Efficacy Scale (TSES) to edTPA scores from Agricultural Education and Technology Education student teachers at a southern land-grant university. This study found a negative correlation between self-efficacy means at the end of the student teaching semester and overall edTPA score. Self-efficacy in some students was found to decrease after internal submission when given feedback on progress and performance. All participants were shown to increase in self-efficacy from the beginning to the end of the student teacher experience.