How different levels of conceptualization and measurement affect the relationship between teacher self-efficacy and students’ academic achievement

Despite the common idea that teachers’ self-efficacy (TSE) is associated with achievement, research findings in this area are ambiguous at best. In the current study, we took a multilevel perspective on the relationship between TSE and students’ academic achievement and evaluated how different levels of conceptualization and measurement of TSE may affect this association. General and student-specific TSE scales and standardized achievement tests were administered among a sample of 360 fourth-to-sixth grade students and 49 teachers from 19 regular elementary schools across the Netherlands. Doubly latent multilevel structural equation modeling was used to test for direct relationships. Results indicated that student-level TSE was positively associated, and classroom-level TSE negatively associated with reading and math achievement. Teachers’ aggregated student-specific self-efficacy was only associated with average classroom achievement in mathematics. These results illustrate how further specification of TSE scales and addressing the appropriate level of analysis may help to better explain variation in student academic outcomes and teacher self-efficacy.