Abstract
There often exists an immense disparity between the idealized goals of classroom teachers and the actual shortcomings of these educators. Strategies have been devised and programs have been implemented to enable teachers to be successful; however, these practices often lack the empowerment to sustain teachers through the arduous tasks and demands of being an educator. Teacher education programs, professional development , and teacher curriculum are oftentimes not designed to equip teachers to overcome adversity and discouragement, let alone thrive in the teaching profession. The question is, then, “Why do some teachers persevere through adversity, even moving beyond toward excellence in the profession?” The research on teacher effectiveness has largely examined the techniques and strategies that equip teachers to be effective, but there is very little research that has investigated the effect of teacher spirituality upon teachers’ beliefs regarding their own efficacy (teacher self-efficacy). A study was conducted which included 333 teacher participants from 2 school districts in San Gabriel Valley, California, representing elementary, middle, and high schools (Barsh 2015). The researcher sought to answer the following questions: Does spirituality impact teacher effectiveness? If so, then how does spirituality impact teacher self-efficacy?
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Appendices
Appendix 1: Daily Spiritual Experience Scale (DSES)
See Table 14.1.
Appendix 2
Teacher Beliefs—TSES Directions: Please indicate your opinion about each of the questions below by marking any one of the nine responses in the columns on the right side, ranging from (1) “None at all” to (9) “A Great Deal” as each represents a degree on the continuum | This questionnaire is designed to help us gain a better understanding of the kinds of things that create challenges for teachers. Your answers are confidential | |||||||||
1. | How much can you do to get through to the most difficult students? | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 |
2. | How much can you do to help your students think critically? | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 |
3. | How much can you do to control disruptive behavior in the classroom? | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 |
4. | How much can you do to motivate students who show low interest in school work? | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 |
5. | To what extent can you make your expectations clear about student behavior? | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 |
6. | How much can you do to get students to believe they can do well in school work? | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 |
7. | How well can you respond to difficult questions from your students? | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 |
8. | How well can you establish routines to keep activities running smoothly? | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 |
9. | How much can you do to help your students value learning? | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 |
10. | How much can you gauge student comprehension of what you have taught? | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 |
11. | To what extent can you craft good questions for your students? | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 |
12. | How much can you do to foster student creativity? | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 |
13. | How much can you do to get children to follow classroom rules? | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 |
14. | How much can you do to improve the understanding of a student who is failing? | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 |
15. | How much can you do to calm a student who is disruptive or noisy? | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 |
16. | How well can you establish a classroom management system with each group of students? | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 |
17. | How much can you do to adjust your lessons to the proper level for individual students? | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 |
18. | How much can you use a variety of assessment strategies? | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 |
19. | How well can you keep a few problem students form ruining an entire lesson? | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 |
20. | To what extent can you provide an alternative explanation or example when students are confused? | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 |
21. | How well can you respond to defiant students? | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 |
22. | How much can you assist families in helping their children do well in school? | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 |
23. | How well can you implement alternative strategies in your classroom? | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 |
24. | How well can you provide appropriate challenges for very capable students? | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 |
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Barsh, R. (2017). Exploring the Relationship Between Teacher Spirituality and Teacher Self-efficacy. In: Lee, H., Kaak, P. (eds) The Pedagogy of Shalom. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-2987-5_14
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