Goal structures and teachers' sense of efficacy: Their relation and association to teaching experience and academic level

Goal structures reflect the motivational beliefs promoted by the prevailing instructional policies and procedures within an academic setting. Teachers' sense of efficacy refers to individuals' judgments or beliefs regarding their ability to accomplish critical instructional tasks. The relation between these constructs and differences on the basis of teaching experience and academic level were investigated. Teachers (N = 1,024) completed a self-report instrument via the Internet. Results indicated that teachers' sense of efficacy could be used to explain the classroom mastery goal structure they reported. Also, some aspects of teachers' sense of efficacy were greater for those with more teaching experience, whereas differences in goal structures were associated with academic level. Findings are discussed with regard to their implications for both theory and teacher training.