The Relationship between Teachers' Educational Beliefs and Teaching-Learning Conceptions: A Mixed Method Study

Abstract

The aim of this study is; determining the relationship between teachers’ education beliefs and their teaching-learning conceptions. A mixed method has been used to reach the overall aim of the research. In the study, explanatory sequential design was used as mixed method design. In this context, quantitative data were collected and analysed at the first stage. In the second stage, qualitative data were collected to help explain the findings obtained after the analysis of the quantitative data. The study group of the quantitative dimension of the study constitutes 301 high school teachers who are working in secondary education institutions in the provincial centers of Mersin province during the 2015-2016 educational year and voluntarily participating in the research. The qualitative study group consists of 45 teachers from the quantitative dimension. Education Beliefs Scale, Teaching-Lerning Conceptions Questionnaire and Interview Form were used in collecting research data. In the study, the analysis of the data was carried out in two stages: analysis of quantitative data and analysis of qualitative data. Anova was used to examine whether the educational beliefs of teachers and their teaching-learning conceptions differed according to the service year variable and t-test was used to see if it varied according to the gender variable. The relationship between teachers' educational beliefs and teaching-learning conceptions was examined by Pearson's correlation coefficient. Multiple linear regression analysis has been used to determine how teachers perceive their teaching-learning conception of educational beliefs. Content analysis was used for the analysis of qualitative data. It has been determined in the research that there is a significant relationship between teachers' educational beliefs and teaching-learning conceptions. In the study, it was determined that teachers' educational beliefs were a significant predictor of constructivist and traditional teaching-learning conceptions.