Abstract
Teacher self-efficacy is understood as a teacher’s belief in his or her ability to successfully accomplish a specific teaching task in a particular context. Studies have been undertaken to determine preservice teachers’ self-efficacy in particular curriculum areas, but none have been completed that relate to the teaching of Religious Education (RE). This article reports on the findings of research undertaken with a group of preservice teachers preparing to teach RE in Catholic secondary schools in Melbourne, Victoria. The preservice teachers (PSTs) were enrolled in the Graduate Certificate in Religious Education (GCRE), which is the qualification undertaken by preservice teachers at Australian Catholic University (ACU). The course consists of four units—two in theology and two in RE. A group of preservice teachers at Australian Catholic University who were enrolled in the GCRE were asked to participate in the research about their self-efficacy to teach RE. The results of the research outlines the importance of self-efficacy to the task of teaching and to teaching of the specialist area of RE in Catholic schools. The outcomes of the research indicated that the group of preservice RE teachers had higher levels of self-efficacy to teach RE at the end of the unit than they had at the beginning. This finding, which confirmed research conducted in other curriculum areas, was that preservice teachers’ self-efficacy was enhanced by their participation in the unit.
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The author is grateful to the Learning and Teaching Centre, ACU, who provided a Teacher Development Grant to facilitate this research.
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Appendix
Appendix
1.1 Journal entries guiding questions
Initial questions
What are your expectations for your learning in EDRE XXX?
What do you hope to achieve from the unit?
How will you know you have achieved your desired outcomes?
Professional practice questions
What are you currently observing in your classes at ACU that you would/could incorporate into your own teaching practice?
What would you like to know more about or be able to do differently as a preservice teacher of RE?
What have you learned about yourself as a learner?
Final Questions
What have you learnt from participating in EDRE XXX?
What challenges have you met during the course of the unit?
How have you reflected on your teaching practice during the unit?
(Adapted from Clarke, M. (2004). Reflection: Journals and Reflective Questions: A Strategy for Professional Learning, Australian Journal of Teacher Education 29(2), 11–23.)
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Noseda, M. Self-efficacy in preservice teachers preparing to teach religious education. j. relig. educ. 68, 73–90 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40839-020-00093-8
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40839-020-00093-8