Primary pre-service teachers' epistemological beliefs and their teaching and learning experiences

Abstract

The epistemological beliefs of pre-service teachers influence both their teaching experiences and their students' content understanding. Little research has been devoted to the interaction between teachers' epistemological beliefs and teaching practices (Schraw & Olafson, 2002). To address this gap, this study investigated primary pre-service teachers' epistemological beliefs and their teaching and learning experiences, as well as how these relate to one another. The participants were 22 (13 females, 9 males) volunteer primary pre-service teachers. Data were collected from science learning histories, open-ended questionnaire on epistemological beliefs, classroom observation reports, lesson plans, and reflective diaries. The result showed that epistemological beliefs can be promoted by using teaching methods that focus on such beliefs.