Comparison of Teachers

The mean scores of Scottish pre-service teachers and Scottish in-service teachers were compared using a t test. This analysis resulted in a t score of 3.75 (p[less than]001). The same analysis was conducted using the mean scores of American pre-service and in-service teachers. The result of this analysis was a t score of 3.44 (p[less than].001). The results clearly demonstrate that in-service teachers in both Scotland and America score significantly higher on the variable of teacher efficacy than pre-service teachers in Scotland and America.

One way ANOVA and Scheffe tests where appropriate were conducted on the variables of age, degree, and teaching experience in order to more closely examine their effect on teacher efficacy. Significance on the variable of age (F = 7.17, p[less than].001) was achieved and the Scheffe test yielded a significant difference (p[less than].05) between the age groupings of over 40 and 1625.

The variable of degree status yielded an F score of 15.60 (p[less than].001) and Scheffe scores that were significant on the comparisons of post-grad (defined as M.Ed., post-grad. diploma or post-grad. certificate) and pre-B.S. (p. [less than] .05) and post-grad. and B.S. (p. [less than] 05) (see Tables 4 & 5).

Significance was also achieved on the variable of teaching experience by employing a one way ANOVA (F = 18.72, p. [less than].001). Follow- up analysis with a Scheffe test produced a difference between the categories of over 10 and 0-3 (p. [less than] .05) (see Tables 6 & 7).

The 2x2 ANOVA of each individual item on the teacher efficacy instrument resulted in only one item producing an interactions F score that was significant at p[less than].05. The main effects analysis yielded four items that were significant at p.[less than].05 for both country and teacher type and 10 items that were significant for only teacher type (p[less than].01).

Discussion

It is clear that there is no difference between Scottish teachers and American teachers on the variable of teacher efficacy. It seems safe to conclude that the two countries are equal in fostering teacher efficacy in their pre-service and in-service teacher education programs. It is also clear that experienced teachers in both countries possess more teacher efficacy than those individuals, in both countries, who are in the final stages of their teacher preparation programs. This conclusion was confined by the t test analyses which established that each country's in-service teachers exceeded the performance of their pre-service teachers on the variable of teacher efficacy. The possibility

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