The role of knowledge sharing and co-regulation strategies for teacher collective efficacy: a multilevel approach

Teacher collective efficacy is a crucial resource for shared professional learning in school reforms. This study explored school-level differences in school reform strategies and their relationships to teacher collective efficacy. Altogether, 1550 teachers from 75 comprehensive schools participated in a study, and the survey data were analyzed using multilevel path modeling. At the individual level, findings showed that both knowledge-sharing practices and proactive co-regulation strategies were related to collective efficacy, and knowledge sharing promoted co-regulation strategies. At the school level, knowledge sharing also promoted the use of proactive co-regulation strategies that further cultivated the collective efficacy perceived by the teacher community. Teachers in larger schools reported less knowledge sharing, while more multi-professional teacher communities were associated with less frequent proactive co-regulation strategies. Overall, findings highlight the importance of facilitating proactive co-regulation strategies and knowledge sharing in school reform to promote collective efficacy and professional learning in the teacher community.