Mohd Majid Konting

Sense of Efficacy among Beginning Teachers in Sarawak.

This study examined the level of teachers’ sense of efficacy among beginning teachers in Sarawak, Malaysia. It also sought to investigate whether there is any difference in beginning teachers’ sense of efficacy in relation to gender, race and types of teacher preparation program. The study was conducted by using the teacher sense of efficacy scale. The sample consisted of 328 beginning teachers. The mean score of beginning teachers’ sense of efficacy was 6.57 and the standard variation was .80. There were significant differences in teachers’ sense of efficacy in relation to race (F = 3.46, p<.05) and types of teacher preparation program (F = 3.92, p<.05). The differences in overall teacher sense of efficacy were also significant in relation to the interaction between gender and types of teacher education (F = 4.59, p< .05) and interaction between all the three demographic variables (F = 3.32, p< .05). The implications of the study on the theory and practice of teachers’ sense of efficacy was discussed.

Student Teachers of Malay Language as a First Language

The objective of the study was to assess the teaching confidence of student teacher who’s specialization is Teaching of Malay as a First Language. The specific objectives were to determine the teaching confidence in terms of student engagement; instructional strategies; classroom management and teaching with computers in classroom. Data were gathered from a sample of 53 student teachers. Findings indicate that a majority of the respondents had a high level of confidence in terms of student engagement (Mean: 3.97, S.D: 0.29), instructional strategies (Mean: 3.93, S.D: 0.38), classroom management (Mean: 3.90, S.D: 0.32) and teaching with computers in classroom (Mean: 3.83, S.D: 0.57).