Studia Edukacyjne, 2012, nr 22

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The social dimension of teaching: Trust and teachers’ efficacy beliefs
(Wydawnictwo Naukowe UAM, 2012) Van Maele, Dimitri; Van Houtte, Mieke
Educational research increasingly highlights teachers’ trust in other school members to support school functioning. Besides, teachers’ efficacy beliefs are considered to be crucial in their functioning. To enhance teachers’ effectiveness, an understanding of the sources of their efficacy beliefs is therefore vital. This study investigates whether teachers’ trust in students, parents, colleagues, and the principal relate differently to various facets of teachers’ efficacy beliefs. Multilevel analyses of data of 2091 teachers across a representative sample of 80 secondary schools in Flanders (Belgium) demonstrate different relationships between teachers’ trust in different reference groups at school and their sense of efficacy for instructional strategies, classroom management, and student engagement. Our results also indicate that teachers’ efficacy beliefs are not affected by characteristics of the school context, such as faculty trust. Our findings suggest that school policies that focus on trust-building could increase teacher effectiveness.