Teaching Self-Efficacy Beliefs and Commitment Among Rural Music Educators

Context-specific challenges may interfere with rural music teachers’ ability to develop self-efficacy beliefs in their music teaching abilities. In this multiple case study, we aimed to explore relationships between the four self-efficacy sources and the teaching self-beliefs and commitment of rural music teachers. Six rural public school music teachers completed the Music Teacher Self-Efficacy Questionnaire, focus group and individual interviews, and journal reflections. Participants reported that a lack of mastery and vicarious experiences in out-of-specialty music areas negatively impacted their teaching self-efficacy beliefs. Conversely, previous mastery experiences enabled them to persevere through teaching challenges, especially within out-of-specialty music teaching. Participants reported strong commitment to rural teaching and sought ways to boost their teaching self-efficacy. Implications include supporting prospective rural music teachers’ self-efficacy for teaching through the four self-efficacy sources, cultivating knowledge and skills to improve teaching practice, fostering relationships to build community, and promoting context-specific conceptualizations of successful rural teaching.