The role of cultural values in teacher and student self-efficacy: Evidence from 16 nations

Data from a large study (PISA, 2015) involving more than 132,000 children and 22,000 of their teachers, in 16 nations, were used to investigate how teachers convey self-efficacy to students when they teach and whether this is culturally grounded. Using a multilevel data analysis framework, we aimed to: (1) test a path linking teacher and student self-efficacy; (2) examine teaching practices as mediators of the links between teachers and student self-efficacy; (3) evaluate the moderating roles of cultural values on those links. Results indicated that teacher and student self-efficacy were linked indirectly through the use of teaching practices, more strongly through inquiry-based practices. We found cross-cultural differences on the associations between student-perceived teaching practices and student self-efficacy that were moderated by two country-level cultural values: individualism and uncertainty avoidance. This study highlights that, although academic self-efficacy is considered universal, we found cultural differences in its sources and manifestations.