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.