Elementary school teachers' acceptability of school reform: Contribution of belief congruence, self-efficacy, and professional development

• We examine factors that influence teachers' acceptability of school reform.
• Pedagogical beliefs congruent with the reform contribute to acceptability ratings.
• Self-efficacy and professional development also predict acceptability of reform.
• Teachers' years of experience did not contribute to their acceptability of reform.

This study examined the influence of four variables on teachers' ratings of acceptability of a state-mandated school reform initiative, Response to Intervention (RTI). A total of 209 teachers (4KGrade 5) completed measures of belief congruence, self-efficacy, years of teaching experience, and professional development. Regression analyses revealed that pedagogical beliefs congruent with RTI, self-efficacy, and professional development contribute to teachers' acceptability of RTI; teaching experience, however, was not a significant predictor. The full model explained 50% of the variance in acceptability ratings. Results underscore the importance of teacher beliefs, self-efficacy, and professional development in promoting positive attitudes toward school reform.