The construct of teacher efficacy has been the subject of much research for approximately 25 years, yet this research has been dominated by correlational studies used to establish the power of teacher efficacy beliefs. This paper aims to readdress this imbalance by discussing new directions for teacher efficacy research focused within alternative research paradigms. Two key areas of focus are discussed: first in response to the interpretivist paradigm the paper provides a theoretical grounding for the study of the development of teacher efficacy beliefs and second, in response to the critical theorists the paper discusses the importance of broadening the construct of teacher efficacy to explore dimensions of efficacy that facilitate educational reform.