STRUCTURAL-ANALYSIS OF THE RELATIONSHIPS AMONG ELEMENTARY TEACHERS TRAINING, SELF-EFFICACY, AND TIME SPENT TEACHING NUTRITION

Many factors determine the time elementary teachers devote to nutritio n instruction. We tested theoretical models for the relationships amon g time spent teaching nutrition (TTN) and several aspects of the teach er's nutrition background: nutrition training, self-efficacy knowledge , and beliefs. Fire proposed two models: (1) teachers with more nutrit ion training would have increased self-efficacy for teaching nutrition and, because of that increased seli-efficacy, would teach more nutrit ion (primary model); and (2) both training and self-efficacy would dir ectly and independently influence TTN (alternative model). The models differed only in one respect: whether the influence of training on TTN is direct or mediated by self-efficacy. We used data from a 1990-92 H awai'i Nutrition Education and Training Program needs assessment surve y (N = 324 elementary teachers) and completed a structural analysis us ing the CALIS procedure of SAS. The primary model fit the actual data more closely than did the alternative model. Nutrition knowledge predi cted self-efficacy for teaching nutrition, but a belief that nutrition instruction was important did not predict TTN. These results indicate that in elementary teachers, self-efficacy for teaching nutrition med iates the relationship between in-service training, nutrition knowledg e, and TTN.