Online Teacher Beliefs: Intelligence, Confidence, and Student Outcomes

The vigorous expansion of online learning in K-12 education is a recent change to the conceptualization of schooling that has been occurring for more than 10 years. However, methods used for recruiting, hiring, and preparing online teachers have not been altered beyond the current federal standard defined by No Child Left Behind of Highly Qualified Teachers in order to provide students with teachers demonstrating an orientation toward learning. Historically, educational theory and research suggest that teachers who are learners make a difference for student learning. Recently, social cognitive psychology and neuroscience research has demonstrated a key finding that beliefs about intelligence influence learning success. This empirical inferential study examined teacher belief about intelligence, teacher confidence in one’s intelligence, and the relationship with teacher-student interactions and student outcomes through the administration of a 9-item online questionnaire. Findings suggest teacher belief in the malleability of intelligence positively affects student learning.