Epistemological Beliefs in Pre-service Teacher Education Students

Abstract

This study investigated the nature of pre-service teacher education students' epistemological beliefs or beliefs about knowing. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 29 students at QUT using an interview schedule similar to that used by Belenky et al. (1986). The interviews took place at the end of a year-long Graduate Diploma in Teacher Education course and were analysed using a descriptive-interpretative approach to data analysis. This means that although categories of beliefs emerged from the data, the descriptions of these categories were influenced by the epistemological beliefs literature. The interview analysis showed that, as a group, students' beliefs ranged from nä L ve beliefs in the reception of absolute truths to more sophisticated beliefs in the construction of reasoned truths. These categories were similar to those described by Perry (1970), Belenky et al. (1986) and Baxter Magolda (1993). The categories of beliefs were also analysed in terms of structural aspects using the SOLO (Structure of Learning Outcomes) (Biggs & Collis, 1982, 1989) taxonomy as a guide. This part of the analysis was concerned with investigating how students' responses were organised or structured.