Self-efficacy: A South African case study on teachers’ commitment to integrate climate change resilience into their teaching practices

Abstract

A strong sense of self-efficacy in teachers has in many studies been consistently related to positive teaching behaviours and learner outcomes. This research reports on the differences among teachers regarding their self-efficacy and how this relates to their confidence and commitment to integrate climate change in their teaching practice. A questionnaire with the standardised scale of the Woolfolk “Teachers’ Sense of Efficacy Scale” was used to measure self-efficacy beliefs of participating teachers (n = 25). The quantitative data generated with the questionnaire were analysed using the SPSS statistical package and the Atlas-ti program was used to analyse the qualitative data. The findings showed that teachers with beliefs of greater self-efficacy were more willing and resilient to engage in a climate change project. It is recommended that besides the knowledge and skills component of teaching, teachers must be supported to reinforce their belief that they can contribute meaningfully to teaching and developing climate change resilience.

Keywords

• climate change resilience
• self-efficacy beliefs
• teaching practice
• teacher efficacy scale