Preservice Teachers' Epistemological Beliefs and Conceptions about Teaching and Learning : Cultural Implications for Research in Teacher Education.

Abstract

Four epistemological belief and two teaching/learning conception dimensions were identified from a questionnaire study of a sample of Hong Kong preservice teacher education students. The epistemological belief dimensions were labelled Innate/Fixed Ability, Learning Effort/Process, Knowledge and Certainty Knowledge. The somewhat different on Authority/Expert results epistemological beliefs from Schommer’s findings with North American college students suggested the possible influence of cultural contexts. The teaching/learning conceptions were labeled Traditional and Constructivist Conceptions. MANOVA indicated no significant statistical differences across age, gender and elective groups in their epistemological beliefs and conceptions. Canonical Correlation Analysis showed significant relations between epistemological beliefs and conceptions about teaching and learning. Implications were drawn for future research in teacher education with respect to the relations of epistemological beliefs and teaching/learning conceptions in different cultures. Introduction Research in teacher