Teacher self-efficacy in understanding standards-based curriculum: Finding the gap between curriculum and instructional design

In standards-based education the importance of interpreting standards and effectively embedding them into instructional design is critical in connecting curriculum and instruction. Finding the link between standards and instruction while striving to engage students has proven difficult. Too often instructional design does not meet the cognitive level of the standard due to teachers' lack of understanding of the standards (Ravitch, 1995).;This mixed methods study endeavored to identify some of the reasons teachers continue to struggle with effective application of educational standards to their instructional practice. Through both qualitative and quantitative measures, teacher self-efficacy and instructional practice was analyzed to potentially determine the extent to which teachers' participation in specific professional development based on classroom observation data leads to changes as a result of the observation feedback.;The study was designed to survey teacher self-efficacy on three subscales---instruction, management, and engagement. In addition, a subset of teachers was interviewed to discover how the professional development conversations impacted their practice. Finally, a content analysis of key informant interview subjects' lesson plans was used to confirm and support findings from the interviews.;Findings from the study suggest teachers prefer to be included in classroom observation protocols, appreciate conversations about observation data, and respond positively to focused professional development that targets an observed area of need. Teacher efficacy and instructional practice were positively impacted by the purposeful, collaborative, and collegial nature of the professional development event under investigation.