SELF-ESTEEM AND ANXIETY AS PREDICTORS OF PRE-SERVICE TEACHERS’ EFFICACY AMONG COLLEGES OF EDUCATION

Abstract

The level of competence expressed by classroom teachers is important and relevant to classroom delivery and management, but
observation has shown that some pre-service teachers express poor classroom interaction and have difficulties handling students in their classroom in the course of their field experience. This study therefore evaluated pre-service teacher’s self-esteem and anxiety on teaching efficacy among colleges of Education. The correlation research design of expost-facto was used for the study. The cluster sampling technique was used to select 250 second year students of Adeniran Ogunsanya College of Education, Lagos who were on teaching practice. The sample elements were selected from the five schools within the college. Three instruments were used: teacher self-efficacy scale (r=0.62); Rosenberg self-esteem scale (r=0.84) and teaching anxiety scale (r=0.78). Three research questions were answered and tested at 0.05 level of significance. Data analyses were done using descriptive statistics, Pearson product moment correlation and multiple regressions. There was a significant joint effect of teacher’s self-esteem and teaching anxiety on teachers’ self-efficacy (F(5,408)=22.66, P < 0.05) and a significant relative effect in this order (β=0.335, t=5.996, P < 0.05) and self-esteem (β=0.081, t=1.145, P> 0.05). The result also showed there was a significant correlation between (r=0.165, P < 0.05); teachers’ self-esteem (r=0.355, P<0.05) and teachers’ self-efficacy. Teacher’s esteem and anxiety are relevant factors to the teachers’ self-efficacy. Various training and interventions should be used to enhance teacher self-esteem and reduce teaching anxiety, while experimental research design should be used to determine the most effective method for improving self- esteem and reducing teaching anxiety among pre-service teachers.