Science teacher efficacy, National Board Certification, and other teacher variables as predictors of Oklahoma students' End-of-Instruction (EOI) Biology I test scores

Abstract

Scope and Method of Study: The NCLB Act requires all states to set standards for student progress for grade level achievement and to monitor student academic progress. Thus a teacher questionnaire and STEBI were mailed to 750 Biology teachers across the state of Oklahoma with 196 teachers responding to the study. These instruments were used to determine if significant differences existed in the PSTE and OE of teachers whose students' mean scores on the EOI Biology I test met or exceeded the state proficiency level (proficient group) to the PSTE and OE of teachers whose students' mean scores on the EOI Biology I test fell below the state proficiency level (non-proficient group). In addition, this study was designed to determine if a significant difference existed between EOI Biology I test scores of students taught under the guidance of a NBCT and EOI Biology I test scores of students taught under the guidance of a teacher without national certification.

Findings and Conclusions: Although no significant difference [t (194) = .098, p = .922] existed in the PSTE between the proficient group of teachers and the non-proficient group, teachers in the proficient group reported significantly higher [t (192) = -2.255, p = .025] OE beliefs than teachers in the non-proficient group. These findings suggest that although the proficient and non-proficient group of teachers had similar beliefs about their effectiveness to teach science, a teachers OE beliefs were statistically related to how a teacher's students scored on the EOI Biology I test. This study also found that even though students of teachers holding a national board certification had higher mean EOI Biology I test scores than students of teachers' not nationally board certified, the difference was not statistically significant [t (194) = -.896, p = .371] at the 95% level of confidence. This lack of significance was largely due to the small sample of NBCTs (9) and the large number of teachers not nationally board certified (187). The results of this study revealed that the only constant predictor of high EOI Biology I test scores was a teacher's outcome expectancy beliefs.