How conception of students’ intelligence, need satisfaction and frustration relate to teaching practices and self-efficacy in special education teachers

AbstractPreserving special education (SE) teachers' wellbeing and psychological needs has become a challenge in the last decade. The current study aims to examine the relationship between conception of students' intelligence, need frustration and satisfaction, teaching practices and self-efficacy in lower and upper school levels. The sample consisted of 294 SE teachers, who completed a battery of questionnaires about conception of students’ intelligence, psychological needs, teaching practices and self-efficacy. The path model showed that an incremental conception of intelligence was positively associated with need satisfaction, which in turn was related to self-efficacy, and that an entity conception of intelligence was positively associated with need frustration, which was positively related to teacher-directed practices. The results of this study can be used to develop professional training programs for SE teachers on growth-oriented beliefs and self-efficacy enhancement, particularly for secondary education teachers, who might use more directive practices.