Abstract
The purpose of this study is to determine the relationships between lower-secondary education teachers’ epistemological beliefs and their conceptions about teaching and learning. The sample of this descriptive study is comprised of 184 lower-secondary school teachers. As data collection tools, the Epistemological Belief Questionnaire (EBQ) and the Teaching and Learning Conception Scale were used. In the analysis of the data, descriptive statistics, t-test, one-way variance analysis (ANOVA) and multiple regression analysis were employed. The findings of the study revealed that the teachers’ level of beliefs about the sub-dimensions of Authority/Expert Knowledge and Learning Effort/Process was found to be high, their level of beliefs about the sub-dimension named as Innate/Fixed Ability was found to be medium and their level of beliefs about the sub-dimension of Certainty of Knowledge is low. Though the teachers mostly prefer constructivist conception to shape their instructional practices, they also have a considerable orientation towards the adoption of traditional conception. Moreover, it was concluded that the teachers’ epistemological beliefs are a significant predictor of their preferences for constructivist and traditional teaching and learning conceptions.
Highlights
The number of studies focusing on the subjects related to knowledge and learning has been increasing due to the importance attached to the interrelation between the fields of philosophy and education and in this regard, epistemology has become one of the prominent concepts (Demir & Akınoğlu, 2010; Kaleci & Yazıcı, 2012)
Epistemology contributes to the construction of viewpoints concerning the definition, formation and learning of knowledge and at the same time, enables the evaluation of the viewpoints possessed by individuals
Schommer (1990) argues that epistemological beliefs have a scope going beyond the beliefs related to knowledge because they cover the beliefs concerning learning and learning aptitude related to the processes of acquisition and use of knowledge and all of these should be regarded as a belief system
Summary
Epistemology is defined as a discipline investigating, researching and inquiring the nature, source, borders, accuracy, reliability and validity of knowledge and ways of acquiring and transferring it (Demir & Acar, 1992). With this content, epistemology contributes to the construction of viewpoints concerning the definition, formation and learning of knowledge and at the same time, enables the evaluation of the viewpoints possessed by individuals. As a result of the experiences and interactions individuals undergo, they reach some permanent conceptions and beliefs about knowledge and its acquisition These conceptions and beliefs make up an individual’s epistemological beliefs. While an individual thinks that knowledge has a simple and fixed structure, he/she might believe, on the other hand, that knowledge has a quite complex structure encompassing different ideas (Schommer & Walker, 1997)
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