Teacher Engagement Mediates Self-Efficacy and Classroom Management: Focus on Indonesian Primary Schools

Introduction.  The numbers of students with special needs studying in regular classes is increasing every year. This increase has consequences for teachers, who must manage classrooms to meet the students’ diverse needs and characteristics. The contributing factor to successful inclusive education is teachers’ self-efficacy in practicing it. Successful implementation of inclusive education, on the other hand, classroom management can be viewed as performance influenced by the extent to which teachers are involved in their work, that is, teachers’ “engagement.” Method.  This quantitative correlational study aimed to determine whether teachers’ engagement mediates self-efficacy in inclusive practice and classroom management. A total of 242 inclusive primary school teachers in DKI Jakarta-Indonesia, completed three self-report questionnaires. Results.  Teachers’ engagement significantly acts as mediator in the correlation between teachers’ self-efficacy and their classroom management. Discussion and Conclusion.  Using motivational process in the job-demand model, results show that teachers’ self-efficacy functions as a personal resource in implementing inclusive education. This means that teachers’ self-efficacy conducted by teachers first raises the condition of the teacher involved in the role of work, before finally influencing the extent to which the teacher managed the classroom. Therefore that overall student, including students with special needs, get the optimal educational benefits.