An Investigation of Teachers' Efficacy for Promoting and Supporting the Social and Emotional Health and Wellbeing of Students

Abstract

Evidence is mounting that school-based support programs for student mental health are associated with improved wellbeing and academic outcomes. These programs necessitate teacher participation, yet teachers’ views are varied about the extent to which supporting student mental health is integral to the teaching role. Furthermore, teacher involvement in these activities can vary in quantity and quality. Teacher self-efficacy has received attention as a variable of interest for understanding teacher attitudes, participation, and performance in their work supporting student wellbeing. There has been some consideration of the antecedents of teacher self-efficacy for supporting student wellbeing, such as teacher training, but so far there has been no research using the framework of the sources of efficacy information proposed in Bandura’s self-efficacy theory (Bandura, 1977a, 1977b, 1997) and the model of teacher efficacy (Tschannen Moran, Woolfolk Hoy, & Hoy, 1998). Some studies investigating teacher self-efficacy in the area of teachers’ work supporting student wellbeing have conceptualised the construct broadly and used measures with inadequate domain specificity. Other studies have employed domain specific conceptualisations and measures, but validity-related concerns limit the use of these measures in other studies.