Teachers’ self-efficacy in working with pupils with conduct disorder symptoms: The role of gender and diagnostic label

Teachers’ self-efficacy is critical for the implementation of inclusive education practice. Whilst existing research has explored teachers’ self-efficacy in working with pupils with various special needs, there is a notable gap in understanding how pupils symptomatic of conduct disorder are linked to teachers’ self-efficacy. Of note, the roles of pupils’ gender and diagnostic label on teachers’ self-efficacy remain unclear. Using a cross-sectional design, 83 teachers from England took part in a vignette study which assessed their self-efficacy towards one of four characters symptomatic of conduct disorder, each presenting with two variables, i.e. label (with or without a label) and gender (boy or girl). The findings based on two-way ANCOVA suggested that gender, but not the label of conduct disorder, was significantly associated with teachers’ self-efficacy. Specifically, teachers reported that girls elicit higher self-efficacy than boys, irrespective of diagnostic labels. The findings enrich the literature for the effects of gender on teachers’ self‐efficacy in working with pupils symptomatic of conduct disorder.