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Bandura's (1986) theory of self-efficacy suggests that efficacy may be most malleable early in learning; therefore, some of the most powerful influences on the development of teachers' sense of efficacy may be the experience of teaching during field placements and student teaching. Unfortunately, pre-service teachers may not be exposed to good role models for teaching during field placements. This article describes a qualitative study of the influence of vicarious experiences modeled by a teacher educator and master teachers on the development of pre-service teachers' sense of efficacy for literacy instruction. Results indicate that the vicarious experiences positively influenced pre-service teachers' efficacy for effective literacy instruction that was maintained through student teaching.
The role of the teacher is critical in ensuring that children are successful readers. But for some children, reading acquisition will be easy while others will find it difficult. Either way, all children have a right to well-prepared teachers who provide reading instruction that meets their individual needs (International Reading Association, 2000).
According to a synthesis of research on teacher preparation for reading instruction, newly graduated classroom teachers entering the field should have the following content knowledge: conceptual understandings about the foundations of language development; proficiency with formal and informal assessment tools to determine readers' reading strengths and weaknesses; and expertise with instructional strategies and materials for readers of all backgrounds and abilities (International Reading Association, 2007). The report indicates that teacher preparation programs that provide this content knowledge will produce teachers who are better prepared to teach reading well. However, a college degree and content knowledge does not necessarily equate to a highly effective literacy teacher as having the necessary knowledge and skills to perform a task does not ensure that the task will be performed successfully (Bandura, 1986). What is often overlooked is the interaction between teachers' skills and knowledge and their beliefs. A teachers' sense of efficacy may determine how much motivation, effort, and persistence they put into this process.
Bandura's (1986) theory of self-efficacy suggests that efficacy may be most malleable early in learning; therefore, some of the most powerful influences on the development of teachers' sense of efficacy for literacy instruction may be the experience of teaching during pre-service field placements and student teaching. Unfortunately, pre-service...