The Development of Tutor Self-Efficacy in Working with Diverse Learners.

Abstract

BACKGROUND AND AIMS

Casual teaching academics (tutors) are crucial members of university teaching teams and directly shape students’ learning experiences. There has been an increase in the diversity of student populations over recent years (Pineda and Mishra, 2022). Therefore, tutors must develop more nuanced skills and inclusive strategies to support student learning and their own self-efficacy. Tutor’s self-efficacy is defined as their belief in their ability to lead their students to success even during challenging tasks (Tucker, Porter, Reinke, Herman, Ivery, Mack, and Jackson, 2005). This study aimed to evaluate how an intervention workshop, designed around inclusive practices for working with diverse learners, enhanced tutors' self-efficacy.

DESIGN AND METHODS

A 120-minute workshop was designed to enhance tutors' strategies and skills for supporting diverse students’ learning. The workshop was led by experts who presented on teacher self-efficacy principles and practical skills for supporting diverse learners. Through collaborative discussion and written self-reflections, participants explored their current practices and how they could improve on these to better engage diverse student populations. Participants were tutors (n=7 consenting) teaching 1st-year biology laboratory classes. Tutors completed the College-Tutor Self-Efficacy questionnaire (CTSEQ) (Siwatu, Page and Hadi, 2023) and open-ended questions regarding their approaches to teaching diverse learners. These responses along with tutors’ written self-reflections during the intervention workshop were analysed via inductive thematic analysis (Braun & Clarke, 2012).

RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS

Most tutors reported an increase in self-efficacy after the intervention, as indicated by the CTSEQ and open-ended question responses. They also noted an enhanced ability to engage with diverse learners with inclusive strategies, such as using literal language. This increased self-efficacy demonstrates the training's effectiveness in equipping tutors with inclusive teaching methods, suggesting that specialized training is essential for enhancing tutors' self-efficacy and students' learning experiences.