Teacher efficacy in student engagement in the English classroom at tertiary level
Muamaroh
Universitas Muhammadiyah Surakarta, Solo, Indonesia Corresponding e-mail: [email protected]
Abstract: The objective of this study is to investigate teacher efficacy in student engagement in the English classroom at university. The respondents were seventy-nine teachers from seven universities in Central Java. This study used descriptive design using quantitative analysis. The instruments used to gather data was questionnaire. The data taken from questionnaire were analyzed quantitatively using descriptive statistics, T-test and ANOVA. The analysis of data was based on gender, teachers’ age, teacher’ teaching experiences, and teacher’s educational background. This study found that male teachers had stronger teacher efficacy in student engagement than female teachers. Teachers were more than fifty-one years old had the strongest teacher efficacy in student engagement compared to others. Teachers whose teaching experiences are twenty-one years and more had the strongest teacher efficacy in student engagement than others. Teacher who graduated from doctoral degree (S3) had less student engagement than those who graduated from master’s degree. Teachers who taught at private universities had stronger student engagement than those at state universities based on descriptive statistical analysis. However, based on the results of T-test and ANOVA analysis the difference is not significant based on the variable of gender, age, teaching experiences, and teacher’s educational background and their institution.
Keywords: teacher efficacy, students engagement, English classroom, tertiary level.
Introduction
Student and teacher have to have strong relationship. Since their better relationship among them will support to create conducive atmosphere to study during the class. Building strong and good relationship between students and teacher is very important. Some students chose not to attend the class when they dislike their teachers (Muamaroh, 2013). Teacher has power to influence students’ motivation to attend a class.
The development of technology and information proves that people still need the presence of teachers, even at the tertiary level the role of teacher is still important (Halim, 2011).
Indonesian government has decided four competences for teachers and students which cover pedagogical, professional, social, and personality competences based on the act of Republic of Indonesia Number 14/2005 on teachers and lecturers (Undang-Undang Republik Indonesia. 2005). The government tries hard to improve the quality of education in particular the
quality of teacher. The National Education Act No. 20/2003 states that the Indonesian government is mandated to allocate 20 percent of the annual state expenditure for education (Undang-Undang Sistem Pendidikan Nasional.
2003). Qualified teachers will influence and support to educate good students with high quality. If the teacher has good teacher efficacy, it will influence students’ success. Teachers’
belief in their competence positively relates to students’ learning. What they do influence students and affect their satisfaction towards their own work (Henson in Protheroe, 2008;
Muamaroh, 2013; Wibowo and Brahma, 2013;
Gkolia et al, 2014). Mastery experience is the strongest aspect which contributes to self- efficacy judgement for teachers (Bandura, 1997).
A study by Pendergast, et al (2011) focused on teacher efficacy for pre-service teacher in Australia. There were 279 participants from pre- service teachers’ program: Graduate Diploma of Early Childhood Education, Primary and Secondary Schools. The questionnaire used was The Teacher’s Sense of Efficacy Scale
186 (Tschannen-Moran & Woolfolk Hoy, 2001).
Another study by Shaukat & Iqbal (2013) investigated self-efficacy belief of prospective teacher during pre-service teacher education program in the context of Pakistan. There were 116 prospective teachers in a public university.
They were from Master’s Programmes in Elementary Education, Secondary Education and Science Education. The questionnaire used was Prospective Teacher Self-Efficacy Scale (PTSES) using 5 point of Likert scale. Multivariate Analysis of Variance (MANOVA) statistical analysis was used to analyze data. In Indonesian context, a study by Wibowo and Brahma (2013) focused on inclusion class teachers at elementary school. The participants were 77 teachers in five cities in West Java Indonesia (Jakarta, Bogor, Depok, Tangerang, and Bekasi).
Researches that have addressed teacher efficacy on teaching English as a foreign language in the context of Indonesia are limited. The current study was meant to fill in the gab. It explored teacher efficacy in student engagement at a tertiary education level in some universities in Central Java Indonesia regarding teacher’s gender, age, teaching experiences, and educational background and their institution.
Research Method
The study was carried out at tertiary level which consist of two state and five private universities in Central Java. There were seventy-nine lecturers as participants of this study. The instruments to get data used was questionnaire.
The close-ended questionnaire used Teacher Efficacy Scale (TES) developed by Tschannen- Moran & Woolfolk Hoy (2001). Descriptive statistics, T-test and ANOVA were used to analyze data.
Findings and Discussion
Teacher efficacy in student engagement based on gender
The study revealed that male teachers had stronger teacher efficacy in student engagement (mean= 55.25) than female teachers (mean=
53.88) based on descriptive statistical analysis.
Although based on the result of T-test (t = 0.660) the difference of student engagement in classroom between male and female teachers was not significant (sig = 0.512).
Teacher efficacy in instructional strategy based on age
Based on descriptive statistics analysis, teachers who were more than fifty-one years had the strongest teacher efficacy in student engagement in classroom compared to others (mean = 55.71).
Teachers who were twenty to thirty years had the weakest (mean= 52.13) teacher efficacy in student’s engagement in classroom. Teachers who were thirty-one to forty years had stronger teacher efficacy (mean= 55.57) than those who were forty-one to fifty years (means= 53.50).
However, based on ANOVA statistical analysis (F = 0.968) the difference was not significant (sig= 0.412).
Teacher efficacy in student engagement based on teaching experience
Teachers who have been teaching more than twenty-one years have stronger student engagement (mean= 56.80) than those with a year to ten years (mean = 54.09). Teachers who have been teaching eleven to twenty years had weakest student engagement (mean = 53.66) based on descriptive statistical analysis. It might be because teachers who have taught less than twenty years are still novice teachers. They still require a lot of experiences in their teaching in particular in building strong relationship between teachers and students. Although the difference was not significant (sig = 0.493) using ANOVA (F= 0,715) analysis.
Teacher efficacy in student engagement based on teacher’s background of study
In view on teacher’ educational degree, based on descriptive statistic it was found that teacher who graduated from doctoral degree (S3) had less student engagement (mean = 53.85) than those who graduated from master’s degree (mean = 55.10). Although, its difference is not significant (sig = 1.000) based on T-test (0.000). Moreover, teachers graduated from overseas and Indonesian universities have the same strength in student engagement (Mean 54.50). In view of teacher’s teaching subject, teachers who teach skills subject such as reading, listening, speaking and writing had higher slightly student engagement (mean=
56.69) than those who teach content subject (mean = 56.12). The lowest teacher’s efficacy in student engagement is a teacher who teaches content and skills subjects (mean = 52.89).
187 Although, based on ANOVA (F = 2.315), its difference is not significant (sug = 0.106).
Teacher efficacy in student engagement based on teacher’s institution
In relation to teachers’ institutions, teachers who taught at private universities had stronger student engagement (mean= 54.53) than those at state universities (mean= 53.71) based on descriptive statistical analysis. Although, based on T-test (t = 0.412), its difference is not significant (sig = 0.682).
This study found that the different variable teacher efficacy in student engagement is different among variables based on the descriptive statistical analysis as the following table:
Table 1. Teacher efficacy in student engagement
Descriptive Statistics
Dependent Variable: student engagement Mea
n
Std.
Dev N
Gender
Male 55.2 5
5.159 2 0 Female 53.8
8
8.543 4 0 Age
20-30 years
52.1 3
7.567 1 5 31-40
years
55.5 7
7.192 3 5 41-50
years
53.5 0
6.155 2 2 51 years
and more
55.7 1
10.33 9
7
Teaching experience s
0-10 years
54.0 9
6.386 3 5
11-20 years
53.6 6
8.350 3 2 21 years
and more
56.8 0
7.068 1 0
University backgroun d
S2 55.1
0
7.887 5 2
S3 53.8
5
6.555 1 3 Graduatio
n
In the country
54.5 0
6.735 5 0 Oversea
s
54.5 0
8.969 2 4 Teaching
subject
Content 56.1 2
6.864 1 7 Skill 56.6
9
6.322 1 6
Mix 52.8
9
7.543 4 6 Institution
Private 54.5 3
7.804 6 2 State 53.7
1
5.169 1 7 Based on the results of T-test and ANOVA the different among variables was not significant.
Therefore, teacher efficacy in student engagement based on gender, background of the study at university, degree, age, teaching experiences, and teaching subject are not significant difference as describing in the following table.
Table 2. Teacher efficacy in student engagement based on T-test and ANOVA
Descriptive Statistics
Dependent Variable: student engagament
Aspect T-test
/ANOV A
significa nt Gender Male t =
0.660
0.512 Female
Backgrou nd of the study
In country
t =
0.000
1.000
Overse as
S2 t = -
0.527
0.600 S3
University Private State
Age 20-30
years
F =
0.968
0.412
188 31-40
years 41-50 years 51 years and more Teaching
experienc es
0-10 years
F = 0,715
0.493
11 – 20 years 21 years and more Subject
Conte nt
F =
2.315
sig=
0.106 Skills
Mix
The recent study explored the teacher efficacy in student engagement at tertiary level in the context of Indonesia. The result of this study supported the study by Pendergast, et al (2011) who found that age, pre-service teachers’
program (Graduate Diploma of Early Childhood Education, Primary and Secondary) and gender did not relate to teacher efficacy. It is also in line with the result of the study by Tschannen-Moran
& Woolfolk Hoy (2007) that demographic variables did not relate to efficacy belief of teachers.
The result of this study is consistent with the result from Sridhar and Javan (2011) who found that male teachers have higher levels on management than female teachers. Although the difference was not significant (sig = 0.512) based on T-test (t= 0.660). This was supported the study by Martin et al (1997) that no significant differences were found between male and female teachers regarding their attitudes and beliefs on classroom control. However, teachers’ teaching experiences influenced their efficacy in student engagement. The more teaching experiences the teachers have, the stonger their student engagement. This suggests that the length of teaching experience has strong connection with their confidence and thus this improves their efficacy.
The results of this study were not in line with the findings from Shaukat & Iqbal (2013) who found that factors which contributed to teacher efficacy were locus of control, persistent behaviour, classroom anxiety and professional mastery beliefs. This is because the questionnaire that was used to get the data was different; they used Prospective Teacher Self-Efficacy Scale (PTSES), while this study used Teacher Efficacy Scale (TES).
Conclusion
Building strong relationship between teacher and student is important. Teacher efficacy in student engagement was not significant based on the results of T-Test and ANOVA. However, based on the results of descriptive analysis it was found that there were some slightly different results regarding to gender, age, educational background and institution. This study found that male teachers (mean = 55.25) had stronger teacher efficacy in student engagement than female teachers (mean = 53.88). Teachers of more than fifty one years old had the strongest teacher efficacy in student engagement compared to others (mean= 55.71). Teachers who had teaching experiences more than twenty one years had the strongest (mean= 56.80) teacher efficacy in student engagement. Teacher who graduated from doctoral degree had less student engagement (mean = 53.85) than those who graduated from master’s degree(mean = 55.10). Teachers who taught at private universities had stronger student engagement (mean= 54.53) than those at state universities (mean= 53.71).
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