Investigating teacher's experiences and efficacy beliefs regarding the secondary school civics course : a study of three school boards within Ontario

Abstract

The purposes of this study were a) to identify if the introduction of the tenth grade civics course had effected the teacher efficacy beliefs held by those teachers, within three school boards in Ontario, who were to implement the course and b) to determine the implications of the effected efficacy beliefs on the implementation and continuation of the secondary school civics course. The subjects were chosen from three randomly selected school boards 6om Ontario. There were two methods used to gather the data for this study. These two methods were open-ended questionnaires, as well as semi-structured interview sessions. The findings from both research methods were compared and contrasted with one another. The similarities and the differences between the two research methods were identified and recorded. Each of these two methods were used to elicit the lived experiences of the participants, in the attempt of developing a well-rounded and in-depth conclusion to the research questions. The responses given by the participants in both the interview sessions and the open-ended questionnaires were summarized. The key points raised by the respondents were identified as (a) Influence on changes to curriculum, (b) Ownership, (c) Those teachers who are being asked to teach the course, (d) Training provided to teachers, (e) Support structures availability, (f) Resources usefulness, (g) Course Expectations, (h) Course Practicality, (i) Time Constraints. In conclusion, it was determined that there was an effect on the teachers' sense of efficacy beliefs. It was further concluded that while the participants were pleased to see a course address civic awareness, the majority of respondents made it clear that there needs to be a wide variety of changes made to the course to improve its implementation and ultimately it chances far long-term continuation within the school setting.