Teachers’ professional beliefs made a difference for instructional quality in distance learning during the COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract: The aim of the present study is to examine if teachers’ professional beliefs accounted for differences in self-reported instructional quality in distance learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. N = 194 German mathematics teachers were surveyed during the pandemic in 2021 about their instructional quality (potential for cognitive activation, distance learning support, management of learning time). Teachers’ constructivist and self-efficacy beliefs were assessed in 2019, before the pandemic. Results of structural equation modeling indicate that the stronger teachers’ constructivist beliefs, the higher the potential for cognitive activation in distance learning. Self-efficacy beliefs predicted higher learning support and better management of learning time. These significant associations persisted when pandemic-specific resources (technological pedagogical knowledge, technical resources at school, collaborative teaching planning; all measured by teachers’ self-reports) were considered. Thus, the findings support the assumption that teachers’ professional beliefs are important for adapting to challenging and unfamiliar circumstances such as the COVID-19 pandemic, still ensuring high instructional quality.