Longitudinal relations between teacher self-efficacy and student motivation through matching characteristics of perceived teaching practice

Abstract

Theoretically, teacher self-efficacy relates to student outcomes through teaching behavior. However, underlying pathways through which specific teacher self-efficacy facets longitudinally relate to student motivation and emotion in classrooms remain unclear. This study aims to overcome this research gap by investigating whether student- and teacher-reported classroom discipline and social relatedness explain the longitudinal relations between teacher self-efficacy for classroom management and for emotional support and student self-efficacy and enjoyment. Multilevel analyses were carried out with data from 959 students and their 50 teachers. Results revealed that teacher self-efficacy for classroom management at the beginning of Grade 9 (T1) related indirectly to student enjoyment in the middle of Grade 10 (T3) through student-perceived class-level discipline at the beginning of Grade 10 (T2). Teachers’ self-efficacy for emotional support (T1) related positively to teacher- and student-reported social relatedness (T2); the latter related to student enjoyment (T3). Implications for future teacher motivation research are discussed.