Teacher efficacy in response to mental health: A qualitative study

ABSTRACT

Teachers are increasingly sought after to support students that are experiencing mental health concerns. Some of the most common mental health concerns include, but are not limited to, depression, anxiety, and behavioral problems (Centers for Disease and Control Prevention [CDC], 2020a). In the United States, these mental health diagnoses have been observed in children as young as 2 to 17 years of age (CDC, 2020a). As a result, teachers have become first responders in meeting the mental health needs of students. The purpose of this basic qualitative study was to further explore teachers' self-efficacy and collective efficacy and how they are responding to the mental health challenges of third-grade elementary school-aged students. Participants included 15 third-grade teachers from five schools from one school district two traditional K-5 schools and three K-8 schools. Using Bandura's self-efficacy and collective efficacy frameworks, data revealed how teacher knowledge, skills, and strategies were influenced, along with the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in addressing mental health concerns. Several findings emerged suggesting that teachers have a stronger sense of collective efficacy by working closely with school counselors, while teachers with a lower sense of collective efficacy do no seek collaborative relationships and other sources. In addition, teachers with a stronger sense of self-efficacy recognized the process in pre-identifying student mental health, while teachers with a lower sense of self-efficacy, lacked the tools to properly pre-identify students. This study has implications for teacher professional development and training, along with increasing specialized support staff. In addition, the study has implications for recognizing the coordination of education and mental health services to strengthen teacher self-efficacy and collective efficacy. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)