Abstract:
Much research into effective teaching and learning has concentrated on the teacher behaviour-student outcome relationship (Fang, 1996). This strategic focus has not always been helpful in understanding learning outcomes in students. More recently, over the last decade or so, a focus on teacher thinking and teacher beliefs has provided interesting perspectives on the teaching-learning process (Fang, 1996; Richardson, Anders, Tidwell & Lloyd, 1991). In particular there is increasing interest in epistemological beliefs, beliefs about how we come to know and learn about reality, as a way of understanding how teaching and learning may be improved (Beers, 1984; Hofer, 1994; Hofer & Pintrich, 1997; Schommer, 1990, 1993a, 1993b).
Twenty-nine pre-service graduate teacher education students were interviewed at the beginning and end of their course in relation to their beliefs about knowing, learning and teaching. They were also asked to write a number of regular journal entries whereby they reflected on the nature of the course content in relation to their beliefs about knowing, learning and teaching. Students' responses, interpreted using a grounded theory approach, mostly reflected consistency between their core beliefs about knowing and peripheral beliefs related to learning and teaching. Furthermore, a trend emerged whereby students developed a stronger focus on relativistic epistemological beliefs over the course of the year. These findings have strong implications for how we facilitate constructivist learning environments in teacher education.
Twenty-nine pre-service graduate teacher education students were interviewed at the beginning and end of their course in relation to their beliefs about knowing, learning and teaching. They were also asked to write a number of regular journal entries whereby they reflected on the nature of the course content in relation to their beliefs about knowing, learning and teaching. Students' responses, interpreted using a grounded theory approach, mostly reflected consistency between their core beliefs about knowing and peripheral beliefs related to learning and teaching. Furthermore, a trend emerged whereby students developed a stronger focus on relativistic epistemological beliefs over the course of the year. These findings have strong implications for how we facilitate constructivist learning environments in teacher education.