Teacher interactions with students in the classroom have an influential impact on students' social, emotional, academic, and behavioral development. The problem was that teachers are not prepared for the social interactions experienced in the classroom. The specific problem was that more research is needed to understand the significance between teachers' interaction skills and their level of self-efficacy. The purpose of this quantitative correlational study was to determine if and to what extent a predictive relationship exists between the four domains of teacher interaction skills (measured by the Teacher Interaction Skills Scale) and teachers' self-rated level of self-efficacy when interacting with students. This study was guided by four theoretical frameworks, Attachment Theory, Self-Determination Theory, Interpersonal Theory, and Teacher Interaction Framework, which all supported the necessity of building positive teacher-student relationships through appropriate interactions in the classroom and determining which interaction skills impact teacher self-efficacy. The target population was n = 228 secondary teachers selected by purposeful sampling through the district website. An online survey on teacher interaction skills and teacher self-efficacy was used to collect data. Results indicated a small significant predictive relationship between the four domains of teacher interaction skills on teachers' self-efficacy (r[superscript 2] = 0.149, p < 0.001). Further analysis showed that the interaction skill of decoding social cues had a greater predictive ability on teacher self-efficacy (r[superscript 2] = 0.141, p < 0.001). The implications of the findings suggest building a teacher's ability to decode social cues can lead to improved self-efficacy. Recommendations were to include social skill building within teacher training to improve teachers' self-efficacy when interacting with students. Future studies should re-code the results of decoding social cues into categories and determine the extent decoding social cues affects teacher self-efficacy. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2222/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]