Perceptions of Freedom and Commitment as Sources of Self-efficacy Among Pedagogical Advisors

Source: Mentoring & Tutoring: Partnership in Learning, Volume 20, Issue 2, 2012, pages 227-250

This study examined what pedagogical advisors perceive as factors affecting their professional self-efficacy.
Data were collected through in-depth interviews of 10 experienced pedagogical advisors of different disciplinary subjects from three teachers colleges in Israel.

The major finding is that pedagogical advisors perceive their professional autonomy as a necessary condition for the effective fulfillment of their role. Autonomy allows them to develop their potential in the intrapersonal, interpersonal and organizational domains of their work. Their sense of autonomy is based on a connection between freedom and commitment to the teaching profession. The need for autonomy demands of the pedagogical advisors that they be in a constant state of reflection in order to reinvent and reformulate their roles in response to changing contexts and demands.