Teacher knowledge is essentially practical and its construction closely connected to the manner in which teacher perceive their personal experiences (Clandinin & Connely, 1987). Teacher Personal Efficacy (TPE) belief has been considered a basic variable in the quality of teaching. Tschannen-Morgan, Woolfolk Hoy, & Hoy (1998) identified the four major influences (sources) on teachers’ efficacy beliefs (mastery experience, vicarious experience, verbal persuasion and emotional and physiological arousal experiences), and that vicarious and mastery experiences are the most influential in TPE. At the beginning of a teacher’s career, TPE is particularly sensitive to verbal persuasion (Tschannen-Moran & Woolfolk Hoy, 2007). Pereira (2002) demonstrated that Portuguese teachers’ TPE was determined by mastery experience, vicarious experience, verbal persuasion and anxiety experiences. Jardim (2007) has shown that TPE was mainly influenced by mastery and verbal persuasion experiences in physical education preservice teachers (PEPT). This study aimed to identify: specific self-efficacy (SSE) level of PEPT; sources of the SSE that PEPT recognise as the most influential; sources that differentiate PT with higher and lower SSE.

The research was carried out in two phases. During the extensive phase, a Portuguese SEE scale was used (n=77). Afterwards, an intensive multicase study was developed involving eight cases according to their SSE level: four with a lower and four with a higher SSE. A semi-structured interview was applied and submitted for content analysis.

Results have shown that SSE levels change according to teaching practice dimensions: higher in class climate and lower in instruction. Portuguese preservice teachers said that the greatest influence on their SSE involved mastery experience and verbal persuasion during anticipatory experiences and preservice training. Higher SSE PT revealed that mastery experience was the most important source. Lower SSE PT mentioned unsuccessful teaching practices associated with pupils’ low engagement and lack of discipline.