Teacher self-efficacy for managing positive peer relations: understanding its sources.

Promoting positive social interactions in the classroom has become a crucial component of teachers' tasks and is critical for educational quality. This study aims to understand the experiences and processes that promote teacher selfefficacy for managing positive peer relationships (TSE-PPR) as an essential input for designing effective teacher education. Fifty-three secondary school teachers from Uruguay participated in online focus groups assessing the experiences and conditions that teachers perceive relevant for developing TSE-PPR. Hierarchical thematic framework analysis of the data included the primary sources for selfefficacy according to Bandura's (1997) original theory and a series of emerging codes spanning teachers' personal and interpersonal resources and teaching context. We describe the identified experiences and their interactions aided by analysis of code co-occurrence. We conclude that openness, emotion regulation, student bonding, teamwork and sharing with colleagues are malleable key factors in activating Bandura's sources and establishing TSE-PPR.