<p>Informal science centers play an important role in the development of lifelong interests in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. To facilitate their programs, these institutions hire educators to engage with the public. Educators’ levels of self-efficacy to teach science can greatly influence the outcomes of these programs. However, little is known about informal science educators’ science teaching self-efficacy. Grounded in recent research on informal science education pedagogical content knowledge, this study designed a survey to assess informal science educators’ levels of self-efficacy for various parts of their job. The survey was disseminated through professional museum listservs, and 406 educators completed the full survey. An exploratory factor analysis resulted in seven factors plus two factors related to teaching online in informal science centers. An exploratory examination of the survey responses based on these factors revealed educators reported the highest levels of self-efficacy for Online Teaching Factor 1 and moderately high confidence in General Engagement Strategies, Knowledge of Evaluation, and Program Management. Confidence was more neutral regarding Engagement with Complex Science Topics and mixed for Culturally Responsive Engagement. Lower self-efficacy was found in Science-Specific Engagement Strategies, Professional Learning, and Online Teaching 2 (teaching older students online). The goal of this survey is to allow informal science centers to be able to assess their educators’ areas of perceived need for professional development. This will allow these organizations to prioritize their limited time and resources to support the professional learning of their educators.</p>

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The Development and Validation of a Teaching Self-Efficacy Assessment for Informal Science Educators

  • Megan Ennes,
  • Bikram Karmakar

摘要

Informal science centers play an important role in the development of lifelong interests in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. To facilitate their programs, these institutions hire educators to engage with the public. Educators’ levels of self-efficacy to teach science can greatly influence the outcomes of these programs. However, little is known about informal science educators’ science teaching self-efficacy. Grounded in recent research on informal science education pedagogical content knowledge, this study designed a survey to assess informal science educators’ levels of self-efficacy for various parts of their job. The survey was disseminated through professional museum listservs, and 406 educators completed the full survey. An exploratory factor analysis resulted in seven factors plus two factors related to teaching online in informal science centers. An exploratory examination of the survey responses based on these factors revealed educators reported the highest levels of self-efficacy for Online Teaching Factor 1 and moderately high confidence in General Engagement Strategies, Knowledge of Evaluation, and Program Management. Confidence was more neutral regarding Engagement with Complex Science Topics and mixed for Culturally Responsive Engagement. Lower self-efficacy was found in Science-Specific Engagement Strategies, Professional Learning, and Online Teaching 2 (teaching older students online). The goal of this survey is to allow informal science centers to be able to assess their educators’ areas of perceived need for professional development. This will allow these organizations to prioritize their limited time and resources to support the professional learning of their educators.