The change in epistemological beliefs and beliefs about teaching and learning: a study among pre-service teachers

This study investigated the change in Singaporean pre-service teachers' epistemological beliefs and beliefs about learning and teaching over the course of a teacher preparation program. An online survey was administered during the first week of a nine-month program and the same survey was administered after the 413 participants had completed all their course work and teaching practice. Participants exhibited significant changes in epistemological beliefs and beliefs about learning and teaching – participants indicated more relativistic epistemological outlooks and less constructivism in beliefs about teaching. At the end of the teacher preparation program, they seemed to less value effort in learning and believed more in innate ability.     

Primary special school teachers' knowledge and beliefs about supporting learning in numeracy

This paper presents findings from a qualitative study of a group of 12 teachers in primary special schools in Scotland for children with moderate learning difficulties. It sets out an analysis of classroom observations and interviews that explored teachers' knowledge and beliefs about teaching and learning in mathematics with children with moderate learning difficulties. The teachers were interviewed pre‐ and post‐intervention; this was a research‐based professional development programme in children's mathematical thinking (Cognitively Guided Instruction) which teachers then developed in their classrooms. The findings showed that prior to the professional development, the teachers had a limited knowledge of children's mathematical development with teaching frequently informed by intuitive beliefs and dated and sometimes discredited practices. Most teachers had low expectations of children with learning difficulties. Post‐intervention, the teachers reviewed this stance and affirmed that a deeper understanding of children's mathematical thinking provided a more secure knowledge base for instruction. They also recognised the extent to which learners were constrained by existing classroom practices. The paper argues for the commonality of this knowledge base and considers the problematic nature of viewing such knowledge as sector specific.     

Elementary school teachers' knowledge and beliefs regarding non-routine problems

This study focuses on the knowledge exhibited by 30 elementary school in-service and pre-service teachers in solving non-routine mathematical problems and on their beliefs regarding these kinds of problems. Interviews were used to reveal teachers' knowledge and beliefs. The findings indicated that these teachers had difficulty in solving non-routine problems and that their ability to solve these problems was influenced by their professional backgrounds. Most of the teachers, although failing to solve the given problems, expressed their willingness to give such problems to their students in class, explaining that such problems are important for students to learn how to solve as they help develop mathematical thinking and the skill of solving problems in everyday life. However, the teachers were unwilling to include such problems in examinations.     

Comparison of Quebec and British teachers' beliefs about,training in and experience with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder

Abstract

This study compares belief patterns of teachers from Quebec and Britain about attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). It also compares teacher training in ADHD in both countries, as well as their experience with students who have this disorder. The results indicate that: (1) teacher belief patterns about ADHD in Quebec and Britain are different, although teachers from both countries have predominant beliefs about ADHD that are of an allopathic medical nature; (2) British teachers have received less information on ADHD in their initial training than Quebec teachers; and (3) British teachers are contacted more often than Quebec teachers by doctors when they have a youngster using medication to treat ADHD in their classroom. Results are discussed from a sociological and an educational perspective.     

Implementing curriculum guidance on environmental education: the importance of teachers' beliefs

Many observers have commented on disparities between the theoretical understandings of environmental education portrayed in academic literature and the environmental education that takes place in schools. In much of the literature and in curriculum documents there has been an increasing emphasis on promoting positive attitudes towards the environment, and the results of several surveys suggest that many teachers support this aim. This paper explores the beliefs of three geography teachers teaching controversial environmental issues in UK secondary schools. In contrast to the findings of prior studies, the teachers in this study feel strongly that they should try to avoid influencing students' attitudes, or imposing any kind of pro‐environmental agenda. There is a substantial divergence between the teachers' beliefs and the espoused aims of much environmental education literature and the geography syllabus they were following. This suggests that, unless curriculum developers take account of teachers' beliefs in designing new curriculum materials, those materials are unlikely to be implemented in their intended format.     

Preservice teachers' beliefs about students' mathematical knowledge structure as a foundation for formative assessments

In an experiment, we studied beliefs about the structure of students' mathematical knowledge that may affect teachers' formative assessments. Using a novel approach that simulated an assessment situation, we measured the beliefs of N = 42 preservice mathematics teachers. Teachers' responses revealed that they predominantly thought of students' conceptual and procedural knowledge as being symmetrically related but not identical, which is in line with recent findings about students' knowledge. Their assessments may, thus, not be biased by incorrect beliefs. Teachers, however, did not believe conceptual and procedural knowledge to be more interrelated as a result of students' increased expertise.     

Assessing in-service teachers' instructional beliefs about student-centered education: A Turkish perspective

The main purpose of this research is to examine in-service teachers' instructional beliefs about student-centered education. The inventory was designed to measure teachers' student-centered educational beliefs based on four components of the educational curriculum comprising of educational objectives, content, teaching strategies and instructional assessment. Data for the study were collected from 307 in-service teachers working at K-8 schools. A quantitative research analysis showed that in-service teachers held positive beliefs about student-centered education. In addition, the characteristics of teachers such as school level, teaching experience, teaching subject and educational background had statistically significant effects on their beliefs about student-centered education.     

Towards a re-conceptualization of teachers' self-efficacy beliefs: tackling enduring problems with the quantitative research and moving on

Various commentators have argued for years that the study of teachers' self-efficacy (TSE) beliefs, largely dominated by quantitative research methodologies, has been confused. Contentious issues include the very conceptualization of these beliefs, how they are defined and accessed through research and how the research is used. One of the biggest anomalies is that, despite claiming that these beliefs are task-specific, many quantitative researchers have both assessed them globally and portrayed them as hard to impact. In contrast, some qualitative researchers have emphasized the task-specific nature of these beliefs and their potential for transformation through self-doubt, reflection and learning. This literature review examines these and other contentious issues, focusing on studies published in international peer-reviewed journals in the last few years, looking, through the use of search terms and the surveying of abstracts followed by detailed reading, for evidence of developing understandings and changing research practices. This review highlights continuing misalignment between theory and method in much of the literature, but also identifies promising research directions. Mixed methods and qualitative research designs seem to have the potential to produce insightful findings that can make the study of TSE beliefs of greater use to teacher educators than has previously been the case.     

Secondary school science teachers' arguments for the particulate nature of matter

How do secondary school science teachers justify the model of a particulate nature of matter, and how do the arguments they use relate to historical arguments? To find out, we individually interviewed 11 in‐service secondary school science teachers (certified to teach chemistry and/or physics in secondary school, and with 2 to 30 years of teaching experience) regarding their arguments for the particulate nature of matter and experiments that could demonstrate the existence of particles. The collected data were qualitatively analyzed. Three qualitatively different categories of arguments could be constructed from data: philosophical arguments, indirect experimental arguments, and direct experimental arguments. The indirect experimental arguments which is the largest category could be further divided into qualitatively different subcategories: nonspecific research and experiments, and chemical, physical, and subatomic experiments. Even though several experiments and arguments were suggested by the informants in our study, the arguments regarding the validity of the experiments were quite uncertain and vague. The experiments and arguments were used to corroborate the particulate nature of matter and taken for granted in advance rather than used to justify a model with particles. The outcome was discussed in relation to scientific arguments and experiments and in view of results from previous science education research. Based on our data, teacher education and in‐service teacher training, as well as teacher guides, were suggested to be more elaborate regarding contemporary knowledge, with direct experimental evidence for the particulate nature of matter being presented.     

A strengthened teaching mission in preschool: teachers' experiences,beliefs and strategies

This paper aimed to explore how preschool teachers' experience their strengthened teaching mission, specifically when working with scientific exploration. The study was based on the philosophy of the life-world, a branch of the phenomenological movement. Life-world philosophy focuses on the concrete reality humans inhabit and is responsive to its inherent ambiguity. The data consisted of written teacher responses and follow-up interviews. The findings showed a broad and multidimensional way of working with science and exploration in which embodied experiences and intertwined relationships were prominent. Teachers' notions of what constitutes scientific exploration and learning represent a combination of science as literacy and science as inquiry, emphasising democracy, aesthetics, experimentation and reflection. Being present and focusing children's relationship with the phenomena seem to be teachers' strategies of handling their strengthened teaching mission.     

Pre-service teachers' beliefs about the switch of medium-of-instruction and their influence on lesson planning and teaching practice

Studies suggest that pre-service teachers' existing beliefs often serve as a lens to interpret the subject matter to be taught, guide their thoughts in lesson planning and shape their behaviour in classroom practices during their teaching practicum. This study examines how these beliefs affect pre-service teachers' conceptualization of Putonghua-medium-of-instruction (PMI) and their teaching. The findings indicate that the conceptualization of pre-service teachers about PMI ranged from code switching to curriculum integration. Their focus of lesson planning and teaching practice varied from transmission of Putonghua knowledge and detailed explanation of text information to integration of Chinese Language and Putonghua.     

School teachers' perception about distributed leadership practices for inclusive education in primary schools in Bangladesh

This article reports on the third phase of a larger study that explored the perceptions of teachers about distributed leadership practices for inclusive education (IE) in primary schools involved in IE reform in Bangladesh. The Distributed Leadership Practice for Inclusive Education scale was developed specifically for this study to collect data. Participants for the present study were head teachers and teachers from 308 public primary schools. The results of this study indicate that teachers perceived that distributed leadership practices for IE were present in primary schools in Bangladesh. The findings indicate that teachers' perceptions about distributed leadership practices for IE have a significant positive correlation with their satisfaction about the implementation of IE policy.     

Investigating teachers' educational beliefs in Chinese primary schools: socioeconomic and geographical perspectives

This empirical study explores the nature of and profiles in primary teachers' educational beliefs in the Chinese educational settings. A survey of 820 primary school teachers was conducted using a questionnaire focusing on teachers' traditional and constructivist beliefs about teaching and learning. Analysis of variance and cluster analysis were applied. Results show that gender and subject domain affect traditional educational beliefs. Significant differences appear considering economic and geographical context variables. Cluster analysis helps to delineate four teacher belief profiles: a constructivist profile, a mixed constructivist/traditional profile, a traditional profile, and a mixed low constructivist/traditional profile. Inter-relation between teacher belief profiles and school categories are discussed.     

The impact of media representation of disabilities on teachers' perceptions

The study investigates a link between media portrayal of disabilities and its influence on teachers' perceptions of their students. By using semi‐structured interviews and questionnaires, participants (N = 8) gave an insight into their perceptions of the impact TV programmes and films have on their understanding of disability and teaching style. The findings reveal that the participants found the majority of media to sensationalise disability, perpetuate stereotypes and lack appropriate representation of people with disabilities in general. The teachers within the sample also acknowledged media as impacting their understanding, awareness and knowledge of disabilities and approaches, but they did not see it as impacting their teaching practices directly.     

Beliefs of experienced and student teachers about the nature and purpose of social studies education in New Zealand elementary schools

This paper reports on an investigation carried out in New Zealand into experienced elementary and student teachers’ beliefs about the nature and purpose of social studies education. Since its inclusion in New Zealand's curriculum, social studies has been organized around the notion of citizenship education with curricula and programmes of work influenced by four overarching “traditions” – social studies as: citizenship transmission; social science; reflective inquiry; and personal, social and ethical empowerment. A 20-item scale based on these traditions was administered to 228 student teachers and 64 experienced teachers. A factor analysis indicated that participants' perceptions of the dimensions of social studies education were, with one exception, reasonably close to the four traditions. Despite the contested nature of social studies, the student and experienced teachers held similar positions on the relative importance of the traditions and dimensions. It is argued that this agreement arises, wholly or in part, from their common “apprenticeship of experience” in classrooms, the broader socio-historical context in which their beliefs were developed, the widespread influence of a prevalent educational discourse, and a shared lack of experience in formal knowledge associated with specific social science disciplines. It was concluded that the uncomfortable generational encounters often reported in the literature between novice and experienced teachers are unlikely to occur in relation to the teaching of elementary social studies in New Zealand.     

Teachers' beliefs and practices: a dynamic and complex relationship

Research on teachers' beliefs has provided useful insights into understanding processes of teaching. However, no research has explored teachers' beliefs as a system nor have researchers investigated the substance of interactions between teachers' beliefs, practices and context. Therefore, the author adopts complexity theory to explore the features of the teachers' belief system and how interactions between different components of the teachers' belief system contribute to complex features of their beliefs. The author illustrates this application by using a case study example of a language teacher in a Chinese secondary school. The study used the methods of semi-structured interviews, observations and stimulated recall interviews. It revealed the co-existence of different types of beliefs. The interaction of these beliefs determined the relationship between the teacher's beliefs and practice. Moreover, the practices of “token adoption” and eclectic approach were noted as the non-linear features of the teacher's belief system at the time of curriculum reform.     

Understanding Singaporean preschool teachers' beliefs about literacy development: Four different perspectives

Investigating teachers' beliefs may shed light on their activities in the classroom, and in turn, on the pedagogical process itself. It is, however, not easy to study teachers' beliefs empirically. Q-methodology has been used over several disciplines to systematically investigate individuals' points of view on a range of issues. A study involving Q-methodology was conducted in Singaporean preschools to investigate some teachers' perceptions of early literacy development and instruction. The study revealed four viewpoint groups among the 30 preschool teachers who participated in the study, and possible teacher characteristics that distinguish the viewpoints from each other. The results suggest that the differences in viewpoints are indicative of differences in cultural expectations held by various groups of teachers.     

Mapping discourses in teachers' talk about using digital texts in classrooms

Many accounts explaining teachers' lack of engagement with new technologies in their classrooms engage with discourses that blame their lack of time, expertise, or enthusiasm. In this paper I offer an alternative reading that provides a more agentic explanation. A rhizotextual analysis is undertaken that reveals the connections between teachers' talk and the institutional and societal discourses that ascribe value and worth to particular approaches to using new technologies and their associated digital texts in literacy classrooms. These approaches involve a focus on the technical or operational skills required to use new technologies and the over-emphasis of production work when engaging with digital texts. Taking up these discourses (im)plausibly constitutes teachers as experts and professionals, rather than the more common deficit construction of them as lacking in the skills, knowledge or even creativity required to engage in more meaningful and challenging ways with the literacy resources that young people require in the twenty-first century.     

Changing perspectives: Examining the potential for advanced mathematical studies to influence pre-service teachers' beliefs about mathematics

This study considers the potential for advanced mathematical studies to impact pre-service teachers' beliefs about mathematics. Results show that, after completing a degree which includes advanced mathematical studies, many prospective teachers' beliefs still reflect limited interpretations of key terminology and do not value the theoretical and conceptual network underpinning the rules and procedures of secondary mathematics. Many of their beliefs about the nature of mathematics also fail to recognise its capacity to stimulate analytical thought and creativity. In cases where pre-service teachers showed evidence of well-developed beliefs, the study explores the role of their advanced mathematical studies in this development.     

Perceived school support as a predictor of Singapore preschool teachers' inclusion of children with developmental needs

Teachers are more likely to include children with developmental needs (DN) in their classroom when they perceive that important people around them, such as principals, colleagues, and parents of children with and without DN, endorse inclusive education. Adequacy of resources and availability of training opportunities may also affect how teachers perceived being supported. This study examines Singapore preschool teachers' perception of support received from their working environment to include children with DN and how this predicts their intention to practice inclusive education and self-reported implementation of inclusive practices in the classroom. The original Perceived School Support for Inclusive Education (PSSIE) scale, developed in Bangladesh, was reviewed for relevance and clarity by a panel of six experts familiar with Singapore preschool inclusion. 211 preschool teachers in Singapore completed the new 11-item revised PSSIE – Singapore Version online. Perceived school support was found to be a single construct that significantly and reliably predicts both intention and self-reported practices (alpha = 0.929). Stakeholders in Singapore can now use this newly validated instrument to reliably understand the support received by teachers and to re-examine the strategies provided to support preschool teachers in this journey towards quality inclusive education.