Preservice teachers’ sense of preparedness and self-efficacy to teach in America’s urban and suburban schools: Does context matter?

The researcher examined the influence that school contextual factors have on American preservice teachers’ sense of preparedness to teach and culturally responsive teaching self-efficacy appraisals. The findings suggest that preservice teachers in this study felt more prepared and confident to teach in a suburban school compared to an urban school. Additionally, preservice teachers felt less prepared and confident to teach English Language Learners regardless of their enrolment in an urban or suburban school. This study has implications for the preparation of teachers who are self-efficacious in their ability to teach in both urban and suburban educational settings.

Research highlights
► The results suggest that preservice teachers in this study felt more prepared to teach in a suburban school compared to an urban school.
► Preservice teachers felt most prepared to teach White American, African American, and Hispanic students and ELLs who are enrolled in a suburban school rather than an urban school.
► The results indicate that preservice teachers’ culturally responsive teaching self-efficacy beliefs were significantly higher when these appraisals were made in a suburban school context rather than an urban school context.
► Preservice teachers’ culturally responsive teaching self-efficacy beliefs were not stable but varied as a result of the context in which the appraisals were made.