PROFESSIONAL LEARNING EXPERIENCES THAT AFFECT SELF-EFFICACY BELIEFS AND ACHIEVEMENT GOAL ORIENTATIONS OF KINDERGARTEN TEACHERS IN KUWAIT
Open Access
- Author:
- Alazemi, Nadeyah
- Graduate Program:
- Curriculum and Instruction
- Degree:
- Doctor of Philosophy
- Document Type:
- Dissertation
- Date of Defense:
- February 21, 2019
- Committee Members:
- Ravinder Koul, Dissertation Advisor/Co-Advisor
Ravinder Koul, Committee Chair/Co-Chair
Jamie M. Myers, Committee Member
Iris Mittendorf, Committee Member
Roger Shouse, Outside Member - Keywords:
- Self-efficacy
Achievement Goal Orientations
Kuwait
Professional Learning Experiences - Abstract:
- The purpose of this study is to investigate which professional learning experiences affect teaching self-efficacy and achievement goal orientations of kindergarten teachers in Kuwait. In addition, the association between teachers’ perceptions about the effects of professional learning experiences on their sources of self-efficacy and their levels of self-efficacy and achievement goal orientations are explored. The study is based on Bandura’s theoretical framework for self- efficacy and the concept of achievement goal orientations. This quantitative study is based on data from a measurement instrument comprised of three surveys: two adopted from previous research which measure teachers’ self-efficacy and achievement goal orientations, and one developed and validated during this study which measures teachers’ perceptions about the effects of professional learning experiences on their sources of self-efficacy. The results, which are based on data collected from 629 kindergarten teachers in Kuwait, suggest that professional learning experiences aimed at developing mastery experience and fostering social persuasion are associated with positive motivational outcomes (i.e., high self- efficacy and adoption of the mastery achievement goal orientation). The results also show that Kuwaiti kindergarten teachers tend to adopt performance goal orientations more than mastery achievement goal orientations. Moreover, a direct relationship exists between years of experience and self-efficacy: less experienced teachers tend to have lower self-efficacy levels than more experienced teachers. These findings have several important implications. Suggestions are made for the design of effective professional learning experiences that can best promote positive motivational outcomes for teachers. Moreover, these findings contribute to the education field by providing valuable evidences from a non-Western cultural context.