The effective music teacher: The influence of personal, social, and cognitive dimensions on music teacher self

The profile of an effective instrumental and vocal music teacher includes many personal and professional dimensions. Among them, teacher self-efficacy plays a key role and influences the evaluation of music teachers’ effectiveness. Recent studies have identified several factors that affect one’s self-assessment of efficacy. However, a comprehensive model of the predictors of music teachers’ self-efficacy still does not exist. The aim of the current study was to identify factors that affect music teacher self-efficacy using a quantitative approach. Three self-report questionnaires were administered to 160 instrumental and vocal music teachers in Italy. Data about their beliefs on musical ability, teacher self-efficacy, and social skills were collected to define a predictive model of teachers’ self-efficacy using a stepwise regression analysis. In addition, an ANOVA was performed to examine group differences in music teacher self-efficacy and intercorrelations among questionnaire scales were computed. The findings have shown that a general score of music teacher self-efficacy can be predicted by a multidimensional model, including music teachers’ personal and professional traits, such as social skills, beliefs about musical ability, teaching experience, and gender. Moreover, differences in specific aspects of teacher self-efficacy emerged in relation to participants’ gender and level of expertise. The impact of these results on music teachers’ education is discussed