ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Educ.
Sec. Teacher Education
Volume 10 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/feduc.2025.1532294
This article is part of the Research TopicPractices for Gender Equality: Teachers' Sense of EfficacyView all 10 articles
Primary Preservice Teachers' Self-Efficacy Beliefs in Integrating Gender Approaches: Relationship with Demographic Profiles
Provisionally accepted
Fatima Zahra EL OUAHABI1*
Hafida ESSAOUDI2
Amale FATTARI2Karima HAMDANE3Siham ABBASSI4Rachid Drissi El Bouzaidi5Abdellah CHAIBA6- 1Regional Center for Education and Training Professions Rabat-Sale-Kenitra, Kenitra, Morocco
- 2Regional Center for Education and Training Professions Fes-Meknes, Taza, Morocco
- 3Regional Center for Education and Training Professions Tanger- Tetouan- El Hoceima, Tetouan, Morocco
- 4Regional Center for Education and Training Professions Eastern Region, Nador, Morocco
- 5Regional Center for Education and Training Professions Souss Massa, Agadir, Morocco
- 6Regional Center for Education and Training Professions Draa Tafilalet, ZAGOURA, Morocco
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This study investigates the self-efficacy beliefs of Moroccan primary pre-service teachers in implementing gender-sensitive teaching practices. Drawing on data from 392 trainees across six Regional Centers for Education and Training Professions, the research used a mixed-methods approach combining a validated self-efficacy scale with focus group interviews. The study aimed to assess trainees' confidence levels in gender knowledge, pedagogical implementation, and attitudes, focusing first on challenges faced by female trainers in Morocco and how these vary according to demographic characteristics. Findings reveal that trainees generally express moderate to high self-efficacy in applying gender-responsive pedagogy and fostering inclusive attitudes. However, a clear gap persists in their conceptual understanding of gender issues, indicating a need for stronger theoretical foundations. Female trainees consistently reported greater confidence in gender pedagogy than their male counterparts, while educational level, specialization, and year of training had minimal influence on self-efficacy beliefs. The results underscore the importance of integrating targeted gender content and practical strategies in teacher education. Focus group insights further suggest that trainees are eager to adopt inclusive practices but lack structured training and institutional support. This research offers timely insights into the current state of gender integration in Moroccan teacher training. It emphasizes the urgency of curriculum reforms that promote gender equity and highlights the role of teacher self-efficacy in driving inclusive educational transformation. Its significance lies in informing national strategies that aim to equip future Moroccan educators with the confidence and tools necessary to foster equitable and gender-responsive classrooms.
Keywords: self-efficacy beliefs, Gender approaches, Primary preservice teachers, Demographic profiles, Pedagogical innovation, Morocco
Received: 21 Nov 2024; Accepted: 25 Aug 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 EL OUAHABI, ESSAOUDI, FATTARI, HAMDANE, ABBASSI, El Bouzaidi and CHAIBA. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Fatima Zahra EL OUAHABI, Regional Center for Education and Training Professions Rabat-Sale-Kenitra, Kenitra, Morocco
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