SELF-EFFICACY

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Self-Efficacy

Have you ever wondered how a teachers confidence can affect their teaching? In Lavelles
(2006) study, she demonstrates how a teachers confidence can reflect a childs academic
performance. A teacher that does not feel confident in her writing will not have the
encouragement to teach writing and literacy at their best. With this in mind, Lavelles (2006)
Low Self-Efficacy Scale depicts how strong or weak a teacher feels about his/her writing; hence,
I will evaluate my own self-efficacy, and will summarize and respond to Lavelles Low SelfEfficacy scale, and will show how teachers feel about their own writing.
In her article, Teachers Low Self-Efficacy for Writing, Lavelle (2006) was able to explain
through research how teachers self-efficacy evaluation can affect children academic
performance. Lavelles (2006) Low Self-Efficacy scale is a medium of research where the higher
you score on the scale, the lower performance in writing you may acquire; reversely, the lower
you score, the better writer you are. There were sixty-four teachers that participated in this study
and Lavelle saw a pattern where people who scored high on the scale, felt unhappy about their
writing.
Overall, Lavelles (2006) Low Self-Efficacy Scale, has good intentions to evaluate writing.
Though the way it was structured brought confusion to me as a reader. The definitions to
describe what high and low self-efficacy was or determined, is the confusing part about her scale.
If you are an individual that scored high on the Low Self-Efficacy scale, this meant that you had
no confidence in your writing. On the contrary, those who scored low on the scale meant that
they were confident in their writing. I feel that if the reading of the scale were to be reversed, low
meaning you had no confidence and high meaning you were a great writer, it would be an ideal
test to address self-efficacy. The article itself was very repetitive- delivering the message that

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teachers confidence in writing reflects student performance. Though the scale can be of great
use to evaluate self-efficacy, its arrangement and structure to determine what percentage of selfefficacy an individual may have can be confusing, thus, allowing this scale to not be the best to
evaluate the subject matter.
Like many teachers across the nation, I believe that my self-efficacy would be scored at the
higher level of the scale. As a future educator I realize that I need improvement in my writing.
My structure and scholarly word choice are not at the level that it is expected to be at the college
level. Though I need improvement, I do feel that my English teachers both in my secondary and
primary level, did not give me sufficient resources to improve my writing. Coming from a
predominant Spanish speaking background, and being in an English Learning classroom for
about four years, may have impacted my English ability to be on grade level. Why? I feel that
ESL instructional classes only focus on the language aspect of the language but do not emphasize
on the mechanics and writing portion of it. In my class we focused predominantly on the
pronunciation of the language rather than the writing aspect. For this same reason, the
importance to be given the necessary tools to improve and become at grade level when it comes
to writing is very important for future teachers.
Thinking about my personal experience in regards to self-efficacy, I believe that if I do not
become a strong writer before entering a classroom of my own, my past trauma might allow me
to not be as efficient as a teacher teaching writing. Although I may experiment fear, I feel like
this experience might motivate me to put this as a priority. I do believe with Lavelle (2006)
research that our experiences do affect and impact the learning of our students.
After studying Lavelles (2006) Low Self-Efficacy Scale, I understand the importance for
teachers to feel confident about his/her writing. Your attitude in teaching affects and impacts the

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well being of students learning ability to comprehend their studies. Although it was confusing to
interpret, the scale helped me realize how great of a writer I can become.

References
Lavelle, E. (2006). Teachers Self-Efficacy for writing. Electronic Journal of Research in
Educational Psychology; 4 (1), 73-84.