Preservice Teachers’ Self-efficacy Through COVID-19 - A Large Scale Survey of Students at a Regional University In Australia

Oct 15, 2026

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Through 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic significantly disrupted higher education, directly affecting professional experience, a core element of teacher education. This paper presents findings from a large-scale survey examining preservice teachers’ self-efficacy and the impact of COVID-19 on professional experience. Results indicate a moderate effect of disrupted contexts on self-efficacy related to classroom management, instructional strategies, and student engagement. Qualitative insights identify learning modes, shifting classroom contexts, and communication between preservice teachers, schools, and universities as key contextual factors shaping self-efficacy.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages25

Reading Time1 h 3 min

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Introduction

A Review of the Literature

Quality Placements

Australian Journal of Teacher Education | Volume 47 Issue 9 | Article 2 | | --- | --- | | 2022
Preservice Teachers’ Self-efficacy Through COVID-19: A Large Scale Survey of Students at a Regional University In Australia
Tania Leach
University of Southern Queensland
Anh Hai Le
Griffith University
Georgina M. Barton Dr
University of Southern Queensland
Follow this and additional works at: [https://ro.ecu.edu.au/ajte](https://ro.ecu.edu.au/ajte)
Part of the Teacher Education and Professional Development Commons | | Recommended Citation Leach, T., Le, A., & Barton, G. M. (2022) . Preservice Teachers’ Self-efficacy Through COVID-19: A Large Scale Survey of Students at a Regional University In Australia. Australian Journal of Teacher Education, 47(9) . [http://dx.doi.org/10.14221/ajte.2022v47n9.2](http://dx.doi.org/10.14221/ajte.2022v47n9.2) [This Journal Article is posted at Research Online.](This Journal Article is posted at Research Online.)[ ](This Journal Article is posted at Research Online.)[https://ro.ecu.edu.au/ajte/vol47/iss9/2](https://ro.ecu.edu.au/ajte/vol47/iss9/2) Pre-service Teachers’ Self-Efficacy during Professional Experience through COVID-19: A Large-Scale Survey of Pre-service teachers at a Regional University in Australia Tania Leach University of Southern Queensland Anh Hai Le Griffith University Georgina M. Barton University of Southern Queensland Abstract: Throughout 2020, the world was significantly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. In the context of higher education, the pandemic critically affected professional experience, a core component of teacher education. This paper shares data from a largescale survey about teachers’ sense of self-efficacy and the impact of COVID-19 on professional experience. Findings showed that the disrupted context had a moderate effect ofpre-service teachers’ selfefficacy in relation to their classroom management, instructional strategies, and student engagement. Qualitative results illuminated that the modes of learning, changing classroom contexts and communication between the pre-service teachers, school and their university were the underlying contextual factors that impacted preservice teacher’s self-efficacy. Implications from these findings challenge universities to consider how to best support pre-service teachers ’progression in times of disruption and consider how Initial Teacher Education (ITE) programs prepare pre-service teachers to teach in disrupted classrooms. Introduction Teacher retention rates continue to be a well-documented international challenge (Ovenden-Hope et al., 2018), with indication that between 25% and 50% of Australian teachers choose to leave the profession within the first 5 years (Queensland College of Teachers, 2019). Additionally, teachers across all stages of their career continue to have the second highest rate of industry claims relating to mental health (Australia Safe Work, 2015) . According to the Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership [AITSL](2015) most teachers enter the profession with positive motivations to teach; however, stress associated with high workload and low teacher efficacy perceptions were commonly identified as factors for leaving the profession. Research on pre-service teachers' self-efficacy has therefore placed an increased focus on the relationship between teacher preparation, efficacy, and retention (Clark & Newberry, 2019) . The literature has clearly established the importance of teacher self-efficacy for perseverance, confidence (Pendergast et al., 2011), teaching effectiveness and the relationship to student achievement (Duffin et al., 2012) . However, the context of the global COVID pandemic has highlighted the need for more research in understanding the relationship between teacher preparation programs and pre-service teachers’ sense of self-efficacy while navigating speculation, uncertainty, and the rapid implementatio

FAQs

What does the study examine regarding COVID-19’s impact on teacher education?

The study examines how COVID-19 affected professional experience in teacher education and how that disruption influenced preservice teachers’ self-efficacy.

What were the main findings about preservice teachers’ self-efficacy?

The disrupted context showed a moderate effect on self-efficacy related to classroom management, instructional strategies, and student engagement.

Which contextual factors are identified as affecting preservice teachers’ self-efficacy?

Qualitative results highlight the modes of learning, changing classroom contexts, and communication between preservice teachers, schools, and their university as underlying factors.

Oct 15, 2026

Upload by Franzy