Pre-service teachers' sense of efficacy: Relationship to academic ability, student teaching placement characteristics, and mentor support

• TSES scores not correlated with academic measures (GPA and Praxis).
• TSES scores significantly correlated with mentors' support during student teaching.
• TSES scores significantly different based on student achievement scores.
• TSES scores not significantly different based on school demographics.

Teacher education programs are under pressure to raise standards for admission and increase the quality of field placements. Teachers' sense of efficacy, as measured by the Teachers' Sense of Efficacy short form, is related to teacher effectiveness. This study found no correlation between elementary pre-service teachers' sense of efficacy, grade point average, and Praxis content test scores implying that academic achievement may be necessary, but insufficient for building teacher efficacy. Significant correlations existed between efficacy scores and perceptions of support by mentors during student teaching. Efficacy scores were significantly higher for pre-service teachers in schools with higher student achievement.