Teacher Efficacy, Self-Concept, and Attitudes toward the Implementation of Mastery Learning.

This paper describes an exploratory study designed to investigate the relation between selected teacher perceptions past research has shown to be shared by highly effective teachers, and teacher attitudes toward the implementation of new instructional practices. Data were gathered through a questionnaire administered to 120 elementary and secondary school teachers immediately following a half-day staff development program on mastery learning instructional strategies. Results showed that measures of teacher efficacy, teaching affect, and teaching self-concept were significantly related to teachers' attitudes regarding the congruence, difficulty of use, and importance of the recommended practices. Implications for instructional improvement efforts are discussed. (Author)