Unpacking Collective Efficacy

UNPACKING COLLECTIVE EFFICACY

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Collective Efficacy

Collective efficacy denotes a group or team’s shared belief in its combined capabilities to attain their goals and accomplish desired tasks. It involves the belief or perception that an effective collective action is possible to address a problem (Hattie, 2018). Social cohesion is the foundation of collective efficacy. At the core, collective efficacy is about a group’s willingness to do something and their capacity to exert informal social control. As an example, neighbors might (formally or informally) agree on what is acceptable behavior and reinforce it in each other. Actions such as cleaning up litter, shoveling snow for elders, improving sidewalks, and attending city council meetings work toward the goal of improving the neighborhood. Together, social cohesion and collective efficacy are the qualities that distinguish well-functioning, harmonious systems from poorly functioning, disordered ones.

There is a reciprocal relationship between individual and collective efficacy. Individual efficacy strengthens collective efficacy and collective efficacy strengthens individual efficacy. Strong collective efficacy encourages individuals to make more effective use of the skills they already have, while strong individual efficacy allows individuals to function more productively in a group (Fisher et al., 2020).

Reflection Questions

• What other examples of a group or team have you seen that illustrate collective efficacy?
• How does the group or team’s shared beliefs and efforts help them attain desired goals?

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Collective Teacher Efficacy (CTE)

Building on the notion of collective efficacy, CTE is a perception of a group of teachers in a particular educational environment that the efforts of the group as a whole will have a positive effect of student outcomes (Brinson & Steiner, 2007). CTE has the potential to explain the differential effect schools have on student achievement (Goddard et al., 2000). John Hattie and his colleagues (2018a) in their Visible Learning research have rated CTE as holding significant influence over student achievement. CTE doesn’t just happen by putting groups of teachers together. It is developed through experience, grounded in evidence of the group’s impact, and guided by the collective wisdom of the group to improve student outcomes.

What does CTE sound like?

Examples/non-examples of language that reflect Collective Teacher Efficacy (adapted from Victoria State Government, n.d.)

Examples of CTE	Non-Examples of CTE
“If we all set the bar high for our students, show them what success looks like, and provide the appropriate supports to help them get there, we can guide them to higher levels of achievement.”	“Our kids need to learn to follow directions. Until they get their behavior under control, they are not ready to learn math and literacy.”
“What is working and what could we do better? How will we know? How can we find out?”	“There is nothing we can do that will make a difference when it comes to our math state assessment scores.”
“What effective teaching strategies and online design can we use to make sure our students are working with an appropriate level of support and challenge?”	“It is not the student’s fault. Distance learning has created so much stress and challenge for students, it is impossible for students to learn at home.”

Watch John Hattie (2018b) explain CTE in the video Collective Teacher Efficacy. View the segment from 2:03 to 9:03 minutes and consider what Hattie says about a group’s impact.

Collective Teacher Efficacy (2:03 – 9:03 min.)

Reflection Questions

• Why is it important for teacher groups to have conversations around evidence of impact when discussing student growth?
• How do outcomes compare when teachers have high expectations vs. low expectations for students? Why?
• What should an effective school leader do to help develop necessary skills needed to have successful teacher groups?