EXPLORING TEACHERS’ AUTONOMY, SELF EFFICACY, MOTIVATION, AND PERCEPTIONS OF STATE MANDATED TESTING IN THE CONTEXT OF NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND

Abstract

This study examined teachers’ autonomy, teachers’ motivation, teachers’ self-efficacy, and teachers’ perceptions of state mandated testing, in the context of NCLB. The research design included an online survey that combined Likert-type questions of each construct, followed by six one-on-one interviews that provided a greater depth to support the survey results. Participants included 561 Oklahoma Middle School teachers. The scales that measured each construct were correlated to identify whether any significant relationships were present. An independent t-test and ANOVA was also used to identify whether demographic variables affected teachers’ perceptions of state mandated testing. Results indicated that significant correlations exist between teacher autonomy, teacher motivation, teacher self-efficacy, and teachers’ perceptions of state mandated testing. Results also showed that participants who administered end of instruction exams reported significantly higher (more positive) perceptions of state mandated testing than those who did not. Additionally, the analysis indicated that among the constructs, the strongest correlation was found between teacher general autonomy and teacher perception of state mandated testing. Further research is necessary to learn more about the complex relationships between the constructs.