Topic

This study examines the role of preschool teachers’ self-efficacy in the context of early childhood education and investigates how continuous professional development contributes to strengthening teachers’ perceived capacity to manage classroom situations, engage children, and adapt instructional strategies. The topic is anchored in recent debates on the quality of early childhood education in Romania and responds to the need to understand how professional standards and training experiences shape educators’ confidence in practice.

Research Question

The central research question guiding the study is:
To what extent does participation in a structured professional development programme lead to an increase in preschool teachers’ perceived self-efficacy compared to colleagues who continue their routine activity without targeted intervention?

Related sub-questions examine:

• whether both groups begin from comparable levels of self-efficacy (pre-test);

• whether post-intervention differences are observable both in total scores and across sub-dimensions of efficacy;

• and whether demographic or professional factors (age, rank, class size, educational background) contribute to outcomes beyond the effect of the intervention.

Objective

The main objective of the study is to evaluate the impact of a quasi-experimental training intervention on teachers’ self-efficacy, measured before and after participation. Specifically, the aim is to determine whether teachers in the experimental group report higher levels of perceived efficacy in:

1. child engagement,

2. classroom management, and

3. instructional adaptation,
   compared with a control group that did not receive the intervention.

Secondary objectives include analysing changes in the distribution of self-efficacy levels (continuous and ordinal scores) and testing whether initial competencies and contextual variables moderate the training effect.

Theoretical Framework

This study is positioned at the intersection of social-cognitive theory and contemporary perspectives on early childhood professional practice. Bandura’s model conceptualises self-efficacy as a belief system shaped by mastery experiences, social modelling, verbal feedback, and affective states, all of which regulate professional engagement and persistence (Bandura, 1997). In early childhood settings, these mechanisms are shaped by daily pedagogical routines, the emotional climate of the classroom, and educators’ opportunities to experiment with new approaches. The present research draws on this premise by designing a training programme that intentionally integrates guided practice, feedback cycles, and reflective journaling as potential “sources of efficacy information” for participants.

Tschannen-Moran & Woolfolk Hoy’s teacher efficacy model further structures the framework along three instructional domains—engagement, classroom management, and instructional adaptation—areas that align closely with Romanian professional standards for early childhood education introduced in 2024. By mapping the subscales of the measurement instrument to these standards, the study assumes that self-efficacy is not merely a psychological construct but a practice-oriented indicator of professional functioning, embedded in policy expectations and organisational culture. This conceptual anchoring supports the argument that efficacy growth can be interpreted as both an individual cognitive shift and a response to systemic professional demands.

Finally, the quasi-experimental design operationalises the framework by testing whether increases in self-efficacy can be observed when teachers are exposed to structured learning conditions that approximate real pedagogical work rather than abstract theory. In this sense, the framework assumes a bidirectional relationship: the intervention is expected to enhance efficacy beliefs, and, reciprocally, strengthened efficacy should support the transfer of new practices to classroom contexts. This positioning situates the study within ongoing international debates about how professional development can function not only as skill acquisition, but as a mechanism for reshaping teachers’ interpretive frameworks, decision-making routines, and professional identity.

Methodology / Methods This study employed a quasi-experimental pre-test/post-test design with a control group, implemented in authentic early childhood education settings. The sample consisted of 60 preschool teachers, assigned to an experimental group (n = 30) and a control group (n = 30). Both groups completed the same self-efficacy scale at two measurement points: before the professional development programme and immediately after its completion. Group allocation sought to ensure baseline comparability in demographic and professional characteristics, allowing post-intervention differences to be interpreted primarily as effects of the training rather than of pre-existing variance. The intervention provided to the experimental group integrated three strands aligned with national professional standards: child engagement, classroom management, and instructional adaptation. Training activities combined conceptual input, analysis of authentic classroom scenarios, guided planning tasks, and reflective journaling to support transfer into daily practice. The control group continued routine activity without receiving programme-related support during the intervention period. All participants were informed about confidentiality, voluntary participation, and the use of data at an aggregated level only. Research Instruments / Sources Used Self-efficacy was measured using a 59-item self-report scale, structured into a global score and three subscales corresponding to the domains targeted by the intervention. Items assessed educators’ perceived capacity to stimulate children’s participation, manage disruptive situations, and differentiate instruction according to developmental needs. Responses were recorded on a multi-point Likert scale. Internal consistency was verified through Cronbach’s Alpha (.935–.955), supporting the instrument’s reliability for both continuous and ordinal analyses. To enable interpretability, continuous scores were also recoded into 3- and 5-level ordinal categories. Data analysis proceeded in multiple steps: -descriptive statistics to examine initial comparability and post-intervention profiles; -analyses of variance (ANOVA) to test differences between groups at both measurement points; -regression modelling to estimate the unique contribution of the intervention while controlling for pre-test scores and demographic variables (age, rank, educational level, class size, setting). Results indicated that group membership and pre-test scores were the strongest predictors of post-test self-efficacy, while contextual variables exerted comparatively minimal influence.

The study shows that a structured professional development programme, implemented in authentic early childhood settings, is associated with substantial growth in teachers’ perceived self-efficacy. Although the experimental and control groups began with comparable pre-test levels, post-test results demonstrate a clear divergence: teachers who participated in the intervention reported higher confidence in engaging children, managing classroom dynamics, and adapting instruction, whereas the control group presented only minimal change over the same period. This pattern is reflected consistently across descriptive statistics, ANOVA comparisons, and regression analyses. Group membership emerged as the strongest predictor of post-test outcomes, followed by initial efficacy levels, while demographic and contextual factors—such as class size, residence, or formal education—had limited or statistically insignificant effects. Referat empiric autoeficacitate The programme’s structure appears to explain these differences. Activities combining modelling, guided practice, scenario-based analysis and reflective journaling provided teachers with concrete mastery experiences—conditions identified by social-cognitive theory as central to strengthening efficacy beliefs. This suggests that effective professional development does not rely solely on the transmission of content but on creating opportunities for educators to test, apply and reinterpret their own practice within a supportive framework. These findings have both practical and conceptual implications. Practically, they indicate that professional development aligned with real classroom demands can function as a mechanism for consolidating professional identity and decision-making autonomy. Conceptually, the results support the assumption that self-efficacy is a malleable construct shaped by contextualised learning experiences rather than a fixed personal trait. The consistency of post-intervention effects suggests that similar programmes could be replicated in other early childhood contexts to inform policy, training design, and mentoring strategies aimed at improving teaching quality.

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