University teachers' self-efficacy beliefs

This study aimed to provide insight into university teachers' self-efficacy beliefs and to deepen our understanding of their relationship with teacher characteristics (e.g. years of experience, discipline and time spent on professional development activities). We investigated self-efficacy beliefs in six teaching domains. In a cross-sectional study, 472 university teachers filled in a survey after completing a professional development programme. The UNIversity Teaching Self-Efficacy Scale (UNITSS) instrument was established using exploratory factor analysis, with reliability scores for the different domains ranging between .76 and .83. The six adapted domains included in the instrument were creating a positive learning climate, instruction/design, differentiation, student engagement, assessment and professional development. Results revealed that university teachers felt most efficacious in creating a positive learning climate and in instruction/design. Their scores in the other domains were slightly lower. Years of experience and time investment in informal professional development activities were related to higher self-efficacy beliefs in all domains. We recommend that future research investigates the potential to develop university teachers' self-efficacy beliefs and whether this leads to better teaching quality.