University teachers' self-efficacy beliefs
Irene Manja Elisabeth Douwes-van Ark1,2, Marjon Fokkens-Bruinsma3, Jan Folkert Deinum2
1GION Education/Research, University of Groningen, Groningen, the Netherlands.
The British Journal of Educational Psychology
|May 1, 2026
Summary
University teachers report higher self-efficacy in creating positive learning environments and instruction design. Years of experience and informal professional development correlate with stronger teaching self-efficacy beliefs.
Area of Science:
- Educational Psychology
- Higher Education Pedagogy
Background:
- University teachers' self-efficacy beliefs are crucial for effective teaching.
- Understanding factors influencing these beliefs, such as experience and professional development, is important for improving higher education.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine university teachers' self-efficacy beliefs across six distinct teaching domains.
- To investigate the relationship between self-efficacy and teacher characteristics like experience and professional development activities.
Main Methods:
- A cross-sectional survey design involving 472 university teachers post-professional development.
- Development and validation of the UNIversity Teaching Self-Efficacy Scale (UNITSS) using exploratory factor analysis.
- Reliability scores for UNITSS domains ranged from .76 to .83.
Main Results:
- Teachers reported highest self-efficacy in 'creating a positive learning climate' and 'instruction/design'.
- Self-efficacy scores were slightly lower in 'differentiation', 'student engagement', 'assessment', and 'professional development' domains.
- Years of experience and informal professional development were positively associated with self-efficacy across all domains.
Conclusions:
- University teachers generally feel confident in core teaching areas but show slightly less efficacy in others.
- Experience and ongoing professional development appear to bolster teaching self-efficacy.
- Further research should explore interventions to enhance university teachers' self-efficacy and its impact on teaching quality.
Keywords:
higher educationprofessional developmentquestionnaireself‐efficacy beliefsuniversity teachersMore Related Videos
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