Positioning Teachers as Informed Agents: A Pilot Study on Professional Learning and Collective Teacher Efficacy

Abstract

Despite broad interest in fostering high levels of collective teacher efficacy (CTE), inquiries into the intentional development of CTE through professional learning are scarce in the literature. This pilot study examined whether professional learning that positioned teachers as informed agents in efficacy development increased CTE. The professional learning was intentionally designed to 1) engage participants in learning and enacting the sources of efficacy, 2) examine outcomes associated with high CTE, and 3) apply strategies to grow and sustain efficacy over time. Results indicated a positive impact on CTE within the small volunteer sample. Findings invite further examination of designing professional learning to intentionally enact the four sources of efficacy, to emphasize positive correlates of high levels of CTE, and to develop teacher expertise in efficacy development. Such professional learning approaches that engage teachers as informed agents warrant continued investigation, contributing to the growing body of research on CTE.