Creating Self-Efficacious Special Educators through Mentoring during Teacher Preparation

Authors

  • Mary M. Lombardo-Graves, Ed.D. (Author) University of Evansville image/svg+xml
    Dr Mary M. Lombardo-Graves holds an EdD in Curriculum and Instruction from Northern Illinois University, an MA in Educational Leadership and Administration from Concordia University, and a BA in Special Education and Teaching from Northeastern Illinois University. Currently Mary is Assistant Professor and Program Coordinator of Special Education at University of Evansville, Indiana, USA.
https://doi.org/10.64546/jaasep.396
The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of a specific mentoring intervention on the teaching self-efficacy of pre-service special education teacher candidates. A Special Educators Efficacy Scale (SEES) was developed to measure self-efficacy for the initial skill set required for novice special educators. A two-group, pre-test/post-test design was used to compare the special education teaching self-efficacy scores between the intervention and comparison group. The self-efficacy scores reported by 245 pre-service special education candidates from two universities were analyzed (intervention group, N = 43; comparison group, N = 202) before and after a 10-week mentoring intervention. ANCOVA findings indicated a statistically significant difference across all subscales between groups while controlling for the pre-test scores. The analysis of demographic characteristics such as age and grade level did not reveal any statistically significant differences between groups.

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There are 40 references in total.
Lombardo-Graves, M. M. (2019). Creating Self-Efficacious Special Educators through Mentoring during Teacher Preparation. Journal of the American Academy of Special Education Professionals, 14(2), 82-99. https://doi.org/10.64546/jaasep.396

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  • Article Type Articles
  • Submitted May 23, 2019
  • Published June 15, 2019
  • Issue Spring/Summer 2019
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