Efficacy beliefs and reading comprehension: Relations between middle grades teachers' and students' efficacy beliefs, outcome expectancies, and students' reading comprehension performance

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relations between teacher and student efficacy beliefs and outcome expectancies as they pertained to four reading comprehension strategies and classroom practices. Specifically, the study investigated whether relations existed between sixth, seventh, and eighth grade learners' and their teachers' efficacy beliefs and outcome expectancies, whether student perceived efficacy beliefs were predictors of reading comprehension achievement as measured by a reading comprehension subtest score on a state standardized test, and whether or not student perceived efficacy beliefs varied by the type of strategy or classroom instructional practice recommended by research for improving comprehension.; Participants were 400 sixth, seventh, and eighth grade students currently enrolled in middle school and 42 sixth, seventh, and eighth grade teachers at the same middle school. All subjects completed the appropriate survey of efficacy beliefs and outcome expectancies, and all students completed the reading comprehension subtest of the Stanford Achievement Test. Statistical measures, including repeated measures analyses of variance and correlational analyses were performed in analyzing data.; Significant similarities were noted between teacher and student efficacy beliefs concerning cooperative learning. Further results indicated that when grades six, seven, and eight were combined, student efficacy beliefs about prior knowledge, self monitoring, and graphic organizers were found to positively correlate with reading comprehension achievement. And, differences were observed for student efficacy beliefs depending on the reading comprehension strategy selected for use or participation in a classroom practice.