Assessing the Self-Efficacy of Faculty in the College of Engineering and Architecture Using the Teachers’ Sense of Efficacy Scale (TSES): Basis for a Faculty Development Program

Abstract

The purpose of this research was the investigation of faculty self-efficacy of part-time instructors in the College of Engineering and Architecture and the identification of its correlation with such determinants as age, teaching experience, and academic position. Based on the Teachers Sense of Efficacy Scale (TSES), the study aimed at evaluating faculty confidence in 3 main areas: the engagement of students, teaching methods, and classroom management. The study was also aimed at creating knowledge that would be useful in designing evidence-based faculty training and support programs in the college. The type of research design was descriptive-correlational research design whereby a complete listing of part-time faculty members (n=20) that met the inclusion criteria was conducted. The standardized TSES questionnaire was used in the collection of data, which were analyzed with the help of descriptive statistics, Kruskal-Wallis tests, and correlation analysis to show the possible variability or relationship between demographic groups. The findings indicated that the faculty self-efficacy was mostly high across the areas of measure. Instructional strategies produced the best mean score (M = 6.34), which indicates a good level of confidence in teaching lessons and supporting learning. In the meantime, the student engagement mean registered the lowest value (M = 6.12), which implies that they could have improved it relatively. Despite the fact that there were some minor differences that were observed among different age groups, different levels of teaching experience, and various academic ranks, the statistical tests revealed that there were no significant differences and thus the null hypothesis was accepted. Results suggest that the faculty staff exhibits good professional competence irrespective of the demographic profiles. The research suggests specific professional training programs focusing on approaches to enhanced student engagement, along with differentiated mentorship and systematic training to further increase the teaching effectiveness in the college.