Epistemological Beliefs of Teacher Credential Students (original) (raw)
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An analysis of teacher candidates' epistemological beliefs: A qualitative study
Pegem Eğitim ve Öğretim Dergisi, 2017
This study aimed to determine epistemological beliefs of teacher candidates. For this aim, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 56 teacher candidates. The interviews were recorded and records related to epistemological beliefs were transcribed, and then descriptive analyses were conducted. The results of the analyses revealed three main belief dimension. Regarding the first dimension, the candidates associated between learning and effort, and they thought that the innate ability would improve via effort; as for the second dimension, the majority thought that knowledge construction process is slow and a relative concept; and regarding the third dimension, most of the teacher candidates were of three different perspectives-knowledge absolutely changes, it changes based on the field and it doesn't change. Also, most of the candidates stated that words possess more than one meaning, people attribute meanings to words on the basis of their experiences, and there is not only one true answer to scientific problems, since knowledge changes in time and scientists propose different solutions to problems.
WCPE2012 - The Possible Influence of Teachers’ Epistemological Beliefs
Hofer assumed an influence of teachers' personal epistemologies on students' personal epistemologies. Educational Model for Personal Epistemology (EMPE) proposed reciprocal influences between teachers' and students' personal epistemologies. Schommer-Aikins observed that some components of mathematics professors' personal epistemologies were similar to the mathematics students' personal epistemologies. We observed that the physics teachers' and the students' personal epistemologies on structure of the knowledge, nature of knowing and learning, evolving knowledge, and source of ability were similar. The current study was conducted at Rajahmundry, India. 91 students who scored 90% and above in a state conducted common public exam from about 10 institutions and 109 high school and college teachers from about 90 institutions participated in the study. A translated and English version of EBAPS survey was administered to both the students and teachers. Statistical analysis indicated interesting patterns. Results of ANOVA test on teachers' scores indicated that the teachers had significantly higher scores on axes 2 (nature of knowing and learning), 3 (real life applicability), 5 (source of ability to learn) than the scores on Axes 1 (structure of knowledge) and 4 (evolving knowledge). Similar ANOVA test on students' scores also gave the same result. Independent t-tests between the teachers' and students' scores on each axis showed no significant difference on axes 1, 2, 4, and 5. However the independent t-test showed a significant difference between the teachers' and students' on total epistemological scores and on axis 3. Independent t-tests showed that the total scores and the scores on Axis 1 of male students were significantly higher than those of female students. Teachers' and students' epistemological beliefs extracted from their answers to the individual questions in the survey showed more similarities. Furthermore context-dependency of the epistemological beliefs was also observed in the extracted beliefs.
Teacher Educators' Epistemological Beliefs and their Implications for Teacher Education
Research has consistently shown that teachers' epistemological beliefs have a significant impact on their teaching and teacher effectiveness in the teaching-learning process. This study investigated epistemological beliefs (EBs) of teacher educators in higher education institutions and teacher education institutes in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP). The study aimed at identifying teacher-centered and learners' centered EBs, examine the relationship of EBs and gender, find out the relationship of teachers' qualification with the EBs of teacher education, and explore differences between the EBs of teacher educators of public universities and RITEs. Of the 212 teacher educators of the study population, the data were collected through stratified random sampling from 145 respondents. Epistemological beliefs questionnaire (EBQ) and a scale for demographics were used for gathering data from the research participants. Percentages, Mean, One way ANOVA and Pearson r was used for data analysis. Findings of the study show that a majority of the teacher educators believed that the structure of knowledge is simple, half of the teacher educators believed that knowledge is certain. Similarly, a majority of the teachers did not believe in authority as a source of knowledge and considered that the ability to learn is not innate. A majority of the respondents did not agree that learning is a quick process. There was no significant difference in the EBs of male and female teacher educators; there was no significant difference in the EBs of teachers from universities and RITES, except in the dimension of the stability of knowledge, wherein educators from RITEs have unsophisticated beliefs and there is no significant effect of experience on the epistemological beliefs of teacher educators.
Changing Epistemological Beliefs in Pre-service Teacher Education Students
Teaching in Higher Education, 2001
- Changing epistemological beliefs in pre-service teacher education students. . Teaching in Higher Education 6(2):247-268. Abstract A teaching program designed to foster the reflection on and development of more sophisticated epistemological beliefs was implemented with 29 pre-service graduate teacher education students at the Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Australia. As part of the year-long teaching program, students were required to reflect in journal entries on the content of an educational psychology unit in relation to their epistemological beliefs. The students engaged in this teaching program (the research group) were interviewed in relation to their beliefs at the beginning (Time 1) and conclusion (Time 2) of the teaching program. Students in a comparison group were not encouraged to explicitly reflect on their epistemological beliefs. They were asked to complete written statements about their beliefs about knowing at the beginning (Time 1) and end (Time 2) of the year-long unit. Schommer=s (1988Schommer=s ( , 1990) epistemological beliefs questionnaire was administered to both the comparison and research groups at Time 1 and Time 2. This questionnaire measured beliefs about knowing. The results of both the quantitative and qualitative data analysis indicated that the group of students engaged in the teaching program experienced more growth in sophisticated epistemological beliefs. The success of the teaching program has implications for how teacher educators develop learning environments.
Epistemological Beliefs of Community-College Students
2000
To date, no studies have focused solely on community college .students' epistemological beliefs and the courses students pursue. The purpose of this study was to determine if a semester-long community-college course designed to increase critical thinking skills could help students attain more sophisticated levels of epistemological beliefs. A secondary purpose of this study was to examine the relation between teachers' epistemological beliefs and the resulting epistemological beliefs of their students. The results did not support the research questions. Neither the course nor the teachers' level of epistemological beliefs was found to relate to students' epistemology. These implications help identify classroom practices that increase student success in college. One possible way for instructors to identify effective classroom practices is to link their teaching goals to classroom assessment. Also effective for instructors interested in increasing students' epistemological beliefs is the importance of instructor feedback to students. In addition, instructors can construct tests and assignments that foster integration of knowledge. Specific discussions and written self-reflections about epistemology among teachers and students can, at the very least, make students aware of their beliefs. Teachers also need to be aware of the forces impeding higher-order thinking skills, evaluation and integration of knowledge, pressures such as grades and coverage of course materials. (Contains 25 references.) (VWC) Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document.
The Effect of Different Educational Programs on the Development of Students' Epistemological Beliefs
2015
Epistemological beliefs are beliefs about the nature of knowledge and knowing. The purpose of this paper is to examine the different educational programs (English teacher education, computer technology teacher education, and food technology) in terms of epistemological beliefs and to reveal the epistemological beliefs of fresh graduates studying these programs in Turkey and from different educational backgrounds. The interview questions used in this study focused on the source of knowledge, nature of knowledge, and elements in acquiring knowledge. The results revealed that prospective English teachers had relatively sophisticated ideas and the prospective food technologists had relatively naive ideas on each dimension of epistemological beliefs. Computer technology teachers had medium epistemological beliefs. This could be because English teacher education programs focus more on the students' epistemological beliefs, whereas food technologist programs focus more on the subject r...
An Investigation on Epistemological Beliefs of University Students
Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences, 2012
The purpose of this research is to investigate epistemological belief in university students in terms of several variables such as faculty type, department, class level, family education statues, world views, newspaper types, reading habits. The sample of research consists of 321 university students several departments at two faculty of Usak university. In study, findings show that there are significance differences between epistemological beliefs of university students and their faculties, departments, family education statues, religiousity levels, and reading book habits.
Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences, 2012
The purpose of this study was to determine undergraduates' epistemological beliefs in terms of gender, domain and grade differences. The participants of the study were composed of 750 undergraduates studying in different departments. To determine the epistemological beliefs of the participants of the study, data were collected using "Epistemological Beliefs Scale", originally developed by Schommer (1990) and Turkish bilingual equivalence, validity and reliability of which carried out by Deryakulu and Büyüköztürk, (2002), was used. Analyses of t-test were conducted to determine the epistemological beliefs of undergraduates in terms of their gender, domains and grades. The results reveal that significant differences were found in undergraduates' epistemological beliefs in terms of gender and domain. These findings and implications for educational researchers and the significance of such individual differences in epistemological beliefs were discussed.
The aim of this research was to develop a valid and reliable measurement tool (SSEV) for the determination of the epistemological views of prospective teachers, and to use this scale to elicit the epistemological views of prospective teachers in Turkey. The application was conducted with 930 participants. SSEV was found to account for 48% of the total variance in the participants" epistemological views. SSEV consisted of three sub-dimensions; "authority and accuracy in scientific knowledge", "methodological approach and scientific attitude", and "nature of scientific knowledge". The ω, r, and α reliability coefficients for the whole scale were found to be .868, .838 and .861, respectively. In terms of the results it can be stated that SSEV is a valid and reliable scale to measure teacher candidates" epistemological views. The prospective teachers that constituted the sample of this research generally had mature epistemological views at a slightly higher level than moderate. It was found that the developed/mature epistemological views of the participants were at a high level for the authority and accuracy sub-dimension, above the moderate level for the methodological approaches and scientific attitude, and at a moderate level for nature of scientific knowledge.
Epistemological Beliefs of Pre-service Teachers
Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities, 2019
Knowledge plays a vital role in all human strata. Hence, it enables individuals to think rationally, innovatively and even critically. Consequently, this manoeuvres to an investigation about its origin, nature, methods, and limits of human knowledge. This study was conducted to determine the epistemological beliefs of pre-service teachers in Northern Philippines along five dimensions namely the stability of knowledge, structure of knowledge, source of knowledge, ability to learn, and speed of learning. A descriptive-survey was utilized in this study with 181 respondents. The findings revealed that the pre-service teachers tend to be sophisticated and have a complex structure and reasoning along source of knowledge. In contrast, the preservice teachers tend to be naïve along ability to learn, stability of knowledge, and speed of learning. Finally, pre-service teachers' epistemological beliefs vary along their sex, program specialization, and ethnicity