Collective efficacy Review of the Literature

46 a vailability of resources and parents‘ supports has a significant influence on teachers‘ efficacy, especially that of new teachers. The availability of resources and the support from parents are two elements of support that are related to teachers‘ sense of efficacy. Because of the traditional isolation of teaching profession, and the dearth of meaningful feedback from administrators in traditional supervisory practices, perhaps it is not surprising that teachers do not look at these as primary sources to inform their efficacy judgments M. Tschannen-Moran Anita Woolfolk Hoy, 2002. Milner and Hoy also found that respect and collegial support have contribution to the development of teachers‘ self-efficacy beliefs Milner Hoy, 2002. Goddard, Hoy and Hoy 2004, also believed that positive collective efficacy would contribute positively on teachers‘ self-efficacy beliefs. In supporting to the previous research findings on the influence of the organizational aspects of the school such as school climate, impediments to effective instruction and teacher empowerment Moore Esselman, 1992, and principal influence and academic press to school W. K. Hoy Woolfolk, 1993, they identified strong influence of collective efficacy beliefs to teachers‘ sense of efficacy. ―… a school culture of perceived collective efficacy may exert a strong influence on teachers‘ sense of efficacy for instruction Goddard, Hoy, Hoy, 2004, p. 9 ‖

2.5 Collective efficacy

Just as personal efficacy is a very important indicator of individual behavior, social efficacy of a certain group sharing a collective interest is also important since an individual is bound to be a social member. Similarly, Bandura insisted on 47 the importance of collective efficacy since it is the nature of the individual neither to live in social isolation, nor to exercise control over herhis whole life entirely on herhis own. He further said that many of the challenges in life are due to common problems that require people to work collectively to cope with them Bandura, 1997, p. 477. This leads to the importance of collective efficacy beliefs, a beliefs system reflecting the beliefs of group members regarding their performance capability as social members as a whole Goddard et al., 2004. For teachers, perceived collective efficacy is their judgment about their capability as members of a group in the school to perform the course of action required to bring positive effects on students‘ achievement. Teachers‘ collective efficacy beliefs are important because their interaction with other aspects of school is a part of the significant factors affecting students‘ outcome Goddard et al., 2004. Collective efficacy beliefs to some extent also contribute to the level of efficacy among individual teachers, although some research also suggests a different provenance where the success of certain group members induces the sense of efficacy of other members. This is true especially when talking about collegial support in the development of teachers‘ personal efficacy beliefs Milner Hoy, 2002. Collective efficacy beliefs, therefore, will also contribute to the development of teachers‘ personal efficacy beliefs because this collective efficacy will theoretically provide vicarious experience that might stimulate a function of role modeling to other teachers, especially beginning teachers. When a role 48 modeling in the group is well developed collective efficacy will be an adequate support for the growth of personal teachers‘ efficacy among beginner teachers. Collective teacher efficacy beliefs are said to contribute to the enhancement of teachers‘ sense of efficacy, especially in mediating the reinforcement of teacher individual self-efficacy beliefs. Little and Madigan in Goddard et al., 2004 suggested that collective efficacy among teachers is a positive indicator of teacher effectiveness due to its facilitating effect on performance. Collective teacher self-efficacy beliefs are also an important aspect of teacher professional development and learning, more particularly in supporting the development of teachers‘ individual efficacy beliefs. Communication among teachers, for example in teacher training or other professional development and professional learning contexts will bring about model as well as feedback for the participating teachers. The conceptual basis of the role compatibility of the development of collective efficacy belief with that of individual efficacy is suggested by Bandura 1997 who says that ―... perceived personal and collective efficacy beliefs differ in the unit of agency but in both forms, efficacy beliefs have similar sources, serve similar functions, and operate in similar processes ‖ p.478. It is therefore theoretically proper to say that when collective efficacy beliefs develop, personal efficacy does, too. 49

2.6 Changes in self-efficacy beliefs