Principals' efficacy beliefs about teacher evaluation

School principals have been criticized for their inaction in dealing with incompetent or low-performing teachers. Bandura's self-efficacy theory suggests that principals' beliefs in their own efficacy regarding the tasks of the evaluation may affect their motivation to perform the tasks of supervision. This survey of elementary and middle school principals suggests that principals place high value on the task of evaluating low-performing teachers and believe that they are well equipped to do so. The data also suggest that the principals believe that they are adequately addressing the problems of poor performance, suggesting a need for research to determine why principals do not share perceptions of unapprised incompetence.