Teachers’ self-perceptions of efficacy have been studied for little more than three decades (starting with the evaluation of teachers’ beliefs of controlling the reinforcement of their actions conducted by Armor et al., 1976), as they have been considered responsible for positive teaching behaviors (Soodak & Podell, 1996; Brouwers & Tomic, 2000; Caprara et al., 2003) and student outcomes (Goddard, Hoy & Woolfolk-Hoy, 2000; Tschannen-Moran & Woolfolk-Hoy, 2001). Based on Bandura’s work and research tradition (Bandura, 1977; 1997), specific measures of teaching specific self-efficacy have been developed and validated (Teacher Efficacy Scales, TES - Gibson and Dembo, 1984; The Ohio State Teacher Efficacy Scale, OSTES - Tschannen-Moran & Woolfolk-Hoy, 2001). Less attention has been oriented towards student-teachers and their specific sense of efficacy, not only in relation to teaching, but also to their academic tasks and achievements. Studies aiming this perspective disregarded main goals and activities of student-teachers: they are equally university students and future educators. Although there is no previous evidence of a certain connection between academic and teaching efficacy of prospective teachers, this study focuses on academic efficacy and some correlates among future educators, as a part of a longitudinal design aiming to uncover potential links. The present study reports results of the first research phase, focusing on academic self-efficacy of student teachers (measuring teaching efficacy in the first year of the university program would be meaningless), and attributional style. Attributional style is cognitive personality variable reflecting the ways individuals explain positive and negative events occurring in their lives (Peterson & Seligman, 1984), which emerged from the attributional reformulation of the learned helplessness model (Abramson & Seligman, 1978). Recently, the positive psychology movement has brought prominence to these aspects, especially to optimism. A high number of studies have shown the beneficial aspects of optimism, such as adjustment to college, happiness, achievement, and perseverance (Seligman & Csikszentmihalyi, 2000). Although popular in predicting different types of performance, attributional style has been seldom used in teacher education research. There is some evidence on vocational teachers’ optimism scores, which are high regardless their years of experience (Hall & Smith, 1999; Smith & Hall, 1999). In addition, some psychological studies conducted on student teachers samples indicate some connections between attributional style and self-efficacy (Haugen & Lund, 1998), or self-esteem (Man & Hamid, 1998). The main research question of the present study addresses the relation between academic self-efficacy and attributional style among student teachers.

Participants. The sample included 142 student teachers (bachelor level), 124 females and 18 males. All students have been freshmen (at the end of their first year of the academic program), with their major in humanities, and enrolled in specific pre-service teacher training programs. Instruments. An adapted version of Attributional Style Questionnaire (ASQ, Peterson et al., 1982) was applied for measuring participants’ attributional style. Based on ASQ scores, several attributional patterns can be identified (optimistic/pessimistic; self-effacing/self-enhancing; internal/external). Student-teachers’ self-efficacy has been measured using the Questionnaire of self-efficacy, which included thirty items generated after a rigorous theoretical concept-mapping. The instrument has been conceived to measure self-efficacy at an average level of generality (Bandura, 1997). Items have been developed to illustrate both academic and social efficacy (learning/working with the peers). Procedure. All participants completed the instruments in one application session, and scores have been computed respecting specific computation procedures.

Initial data analysis will be discussed, attempting to generate answers to the research question. Effects of optimistic/pessimistic, self-enhancing/self-effacing attributional style on student teachers’ attributional style will be presented, as well as results’ implications for teacher education, and further research developments.