Teachers’ self-efficacy and work engagement on students’ academic engagement in senior high schools in Hohoe municipality

Abstract

This research investigated the relationship between teacher self-efficacy, work engagement, and student academic involvement within Senior High Schools in Ghana's Hohoe Municipality, Volta Region. The investigation employed a quantitative descriptive survey methodology, encompassing 310 secondary school educators selected via census sampling techniques. Three validated instruments were utilized: the Teacher Efficacy for Student Engagement (TESE) scale (α = .94), the Engaged Teacher Scale (ETS) (α = .87), and the Teacher Engagement Report Form-New (TERF-N) (α = .83). Data analysis involved descriptive statistics for research questions one through three, while hypotheses were examined using Simple Linear Regression, Independent t-tests, Correlation analysis, and Hayes Moderation Process respectively. Findings revealed that educators within the Hohoe Municipality demonstrate elevated levels of professional self-efficacy and workplace engagement, fostering high student academic involvement. Results indicated that enhanced teacher self-efficacy correlates with increased professional engagement, no significant gender differences existed in self-efficacy beliefs regarding student engagement, modest positive relationships exist between teacher self-efficacy and work engagement, and teacher self-efficacy independently predicts work engagement regardless of subject specialization. The study recommends implementing targeted professional development programs for Senior High School educators in the Hohoe Municipality to cultivate enhanced self-efficacy beliefs and promote greater work engagement.