An examination of the relationship between the perceived instructional behaviours of teacher educators and pre-service teachers’ learning motivation and teaching self-efficacy

Recent research has reported that prospective teachers fail to acquire sufficient content knowledge and develop strong teaching self-efficacy. According to a large and growing body of literature, instructional behaviours that result in “autonomy support, structure, and involvement” significantly contribute to student outcomes at all levels of education. However, there remains a paucity of evidence on how these instructional behaviours influence pre-service teachers’ learning motivation and teaching self-efficacy, which are robust predictors of their learning and teaching effectiveness. This study examined the relationship between the perceived instructional behaviours of teacher educators (i.e. instructional clarity, instructional support and feedback, instructional support for student autonomy, and instructional support for cooperative learning) and pre-service teachers’ learning motivation and teaching self-efficacy. Data were collected from randomly-selected first-year pre-service secondary teachers (N = 601) at regional teacher training centres in Cambodia using adapted scales on instructional behaviours, learning motivation, and teaching self-efficacy. Structural equation analyses revealed that perceptions of teacher educators’ instructional behaviours were significantly associated with pre-service teachers’ intrinsic learning motivation and teaching self-efficacy. This study extends the understanding of antecedents of learning motivation and teaching self-efficacy among pre-service teachers as well as highlights the need for incorporating these instructional behaviours into pre-service instruction in order to encourage the establishment of effective teachers for the education system.