An examination of student teacher beliefs: Interrelationships between hope, self-efficacy, goal-orientations, and beliefs about learning

This study examined the interrelationship between important affective beliefs of a group of elementary education student teachers at one institution. In particular, the study focused on goal orientations, self-efficacy, hope, and beliefs about knowledge. Student teachers with higher levels of hope tended to have higher levels of personal teaching efficacy and maintain a mastery goal orientation. Surprisingly, no relationship was found between adopting a mastery goal orientation and either personal teaching efficacy or general teaching efficacy. Higher levels of hope also led to a belief in omniscient authority. Finally, all four of the belief constructs were independent of general ability.