Australian and Chinese teacher efficacy: Similarities and differences in personal instruction, discipline, guidance efficacy and beliefs in external determinants

Abstract

The present research examined and compared Australian and Chinese teachers' personal efficacy in instruction, discipline, guidance and beliefs about external influences. Two staged studies were conducted with the participation of 316 Australian teachers (108, 208 in first and second stages, respectively) and 411 Hong Kong Chinese teachers (138, 273, respectively). Results of multiple-group confirmatory factor analyses indicated highly comparable factorial structures of teacher efficacy for the two groups, although personal guidance efficacy was more differentiated from personal instruction and discipline efficacy among Australian teachers. Evidence is provided for the need to incorporate cultural factors into future teacher efficacy research. © 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.