Teacher self-regulation and self-efficacy in Reggio Emilia-inspired schools in South Korea

The purpose of the study was to examine whether teacher self-regulation (SR) relates to teacher capacities measured with self-efficacy in Reggio Emilia-inspired schools. A total of 81 teachers in South Korea participated in the study. Exploratory factor analysis revealed five types of teacher SR, including SR for (a) data analysis, (b) community contribution, (c) data collection, (d) activity planning, and (e) organizing documentation. Multivariate analysis of variance showed that the number of years teaching in kindergartens and the number of years teaching in Reggio Emilia-inspired schools did not account for teachers’ SR. In addition, repeated analysis of variance showed that participants had lower levels of SR for data analysis than any other form of teacher SR. Regression analyses revealed that both SR for community contribution and SR for active planning were significant in explaining teachers’ self-efficacy in teaching in a Reggio-inspired classroom and creating documentation. A discussion is provided.