The Morass of Misconceptions: How Unjustified Beliefs Influence Pedagogy and Learning

Abstract

When teachers harbor misconceptions or unjustified beliefs about teaching, learning, and academic motivation, the pedagogical consequences can be severe. It is likely these teachers will unintentionally perpetuate such false beliefs upon students through ineffective teaching strategies or misinterpretations of learning science. Misconceptions among K-12 teachers are particularly deleterious due to the substantial influence teacher beliefs exert upon curriculum development, pedagogy, and the construction of effective learning environments. Prior research has explicated the prevalence of erroneous beliefs about general psychology and neuroscience among various populations but has rarely examined teachers' misconceptions about pertinent topics in educational psychology. Consequently, this review highlights theoretical, inferential, and measurement concerns specifically related to educational psychology misconceptions. Recommendations for future research and the development of appropriate instrumentation to measure and mitigate educational psychology misconceptions are also discussed.