The Role of Self-Assessed Teacher’s Efficacy in Assessing the Severity of Violence, Predicting Interventions, and Choosing Strategies in Cases of Peer Violence

Abstract

Peer violence is a common, prevalent, almost inevitable phenomenon in all schools, so more and more often, for the purpose of suppressing it, attention is paid to the factors that predict teachers' response to violence, and among them self-efficacy stands out. The aim of this paper is to examine the predictive role of perceived teacher self-efficacy in assessing the severity of violence, predicting interventions, and selecting strategies in cases of peer violence. The research was conducted on a representative sample (N = 639) of primary school teachers in the Republic of Croatia, with average age 43 (sd = 10,599). Data were collected via Vignettes and the Self-Efficiency Scale, along with the Socio-Demographic Characteristics Questionnaire. Research results show that teachers with a higher perception of self-efficacy are more inclined to assess violence more seriously and are more likely to intervene, and those who assess violence more seriously will intervene more often. Self-efficacy is also a significant predictor of the likelihood of intervention, and the perception of the severity of violence has proven to be a significant moderator of that relationship. Teachers with low perceived self-efficacy and low assessment of the severity of violence have the lowest probability of intervention, and teachers with high levels of self-efficacy and high assessment of the severity of violence have the highest probability. Teachers who choose cooperative strategies have the highest levels of assessed self-efficacy, while those who are prone to non-intervention show the lowest levels of self-efficacy. In conclusion, we discuss implications for teacher training and their professional development.