We all have a natural predisposition to view assessment results, especially when we're the focus, as something to take personally. Too often, we see these results as a scorecard of our individual success or failure. For example, if we score low on a training exam, we may believe that we're just not inclined on the given topic. But the truth is, the score on any assessment depends on a lot of factors, like whether or not…
- we study and prepare for it;
- we are distracted by personal matters;
- we have text anxiety;
- the environment is conducive to responding well on the assessment;
- the assessment itself is valid and reliable; and,
- our own judgments about our personal capabilities intercede to influence our performance.
In the present case, we are focusing on item 'f.' above, which is personal self-efficacy. By aligning our self-assessment to the NMTEACH we are focusing on teacher efficacy, which we believe may have greater predictive and explanatory power than all of the other items above it.