How Does Teacher Certification Promote Student Achievement in Science, Reading, and Math? A Chain-Mediated Model of Teachers’ Sense of Efficacy and Pedagogical Innovation

Teacher certification is strongly correlated with student development. Many studies have documented the effect of teacher certification on student achievement. However, there are inconsistent conclusions about this issue. Moreover, few studies have examined the mechanisms by which teacher certification promotes student achievement. To fill these gaps, this paper examines the effect of teacher certification on student achievement and the underlying mechanisms. We analyzed the data from the TALIS 2018 Türkiye teacher data and the PISA 2018 Türkiye student data using path analysis and PROCESS Model 6. It was found that the rise in entry requirements for teacher certification was positively associated with teachers’ sense of efficacy and pedagogical innovation in the Turkish context. It was also indicated that teacher certification was positively associated with student achievement through the serial mediation of teachers’ sense of efficacy and pedagogical innovation. The practical and theoretical implications of this paper were discussed.