Examination Of Self-Esteem And Self-Efficacy Levels Of Teachers Working In Special Education Schools

Abstract

The aim of this study is to examine the self-esteem and general self-efficacy belief levels of teachers working in special education schools. The research sample consisted of 150 volunteer teachers between the ages of 26-59 (41.4467 ± 5.978) working in special education schools in Denizli city center and Pamukkale and Merkezefendi districts. Two scales were used as data collection tools in the study. The self-esteem of the participants was evaluated with the "Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale", the validity and reliability of which was determined in Turkish, and the "General Self-Efficacy Scale", the reliability of which was determined in Turkish, and their self-efficacy was evaluated. The Kruskal-Wallis test was used to determine whether there was a difference between the participants' self-esteem scores and their general self-efficacy scores in terms of professional seniority and occupational branch. Whether the self-esteem and general self-efficacy scores of teachers working in special education schools differ according to gender or not was calculated using the t-test. There was no significant difference between teachers' self-esteem scores and general self-efficacy scores according to gender (p>0.05). Teachers' self-esteem scores and general self-efficacy scores did not show a significant difference according to age and seniority (p>0.05). There was no significant difference in the self-esteem scores of the teachers working in special education schools according to the professional branch (p>0.05). However, general self-efficacy scores differed according to branches (p<0.05). The general self-efficacy scores of classroom teachers were higher than those of vocational branch teachers and special education teachers. The results of the study showed that gender, age, seniority years and professional branch did not make a difference in terms of self-esteem in teachers working in special education schools. Similarly, it was determined that gender, age and seniority year did not make a difference in terms of general self-efficacy for teachers working in special education schools. However, it was determined that there was a difference in general self-efficacy in terms of occupational branches. In the light of the information obtained from this study, it is recommended that future studies be conducted to determine the self-esteem and other factors affecting general self-efficacy in teachers. © 2021, Ataturk Universitesi. All rights reserved.