The Role of Teaching Experience and Prior Education in Teachers’ Self-Efficacy and General Pedagogical Knowledge at the Onset of Teacher Education

Abstract

This study explored how teachers’ general pedagogical knowledge (GPK) and teachers’ self-efficacy (TSE) at the beginning of teacher education differ in terms of student teachers’ individual characteristics. The study participants were 240 teachers in their first year of education who completed a questionnaire that assessed their GPK, three types of TSE, years of teaching experience, level of prior education and sex. The results indicate that prior education, sex and, to a lesser extent, teaching experience explain a significant portion of the GPK. Prior education, teaching experience and, to some extent, sex explain a significant portion of the three types of TSE. These results emphasize the importance of individual characteristics, particularly teaching experience and prior education, in understanding heterogeneity at the onset of teacher education in GPK and TSE, two central constructs that affect teachers’ and students’ outcomes.