Teachers’ Beliefs about Teaching and Learning (Poster 3)

• In Event: A Global Perspective of the Landscape of Research on Teachers’ Beliefs

Abstract

Purpose
Our purpose in conducting this systematic review was to describe and analyze the empirical research on teachers’ beliefs about teaching and learning. These beliefs are central to teachers’ approach to instruction and may inform how they respond to and implement instructional reform efforts (Zheng, 2013). We discuss our findings in light attempts to change the educational landscape to one of “Just Educational Renewal” (Scott, 2024).

Method
We searched the ERIC, APA PsycInfo, and APA PsycArticles databases using the keywords teach* belief* with, learning, teaching, and instruction. We limited our review to empirical, peer-reviewed articles of practicing and pre-service K-12 teachers, published in the last decade (2014-2024). We included 73 studies.

Findings

Descriptive Data
The articles included 28 quantitative, 23 qualitative, and 22 mixed methods studies spanning 30 countries. Studies included in-service teachers (n=43) and (n=26) preservice teachers. Many studies lacked demographic information, such as participant race/ethnicity (n=57), gender identity (n=25), school level (n=14), school SES (n=65), and population density (n=57).

Belief Definition
Of the 73 studies we analyzed, 23 did not provide a definition of belief. In the studies that did define beliefs, definitional variation was the norm, with some describing what beliefs are (e.g., Sawyer, 2022) and others describing what beliefs do (e.g., Wall, 2018).

Conflations and Dichotomies
Most studies (n=37) focused on both beliefs about teaching and beliefs about learning, which were frequently conflated as a singular construct. Authors also used dichotomized language (e.g., constructivist/traditional; teacher-centered/student-centered) to code the findings in 46 studies.

Belief Systems
In 24 studies, authors investigated belief systems (e.g., Güneş & Bahçivan, 2018) and incompatible or inconsistent beliefs about teaching and learning. For example, researchers found that beliefs differed based on perceived student abilities (Safrudiannur & Rott, 2020) and learning contexts (Glackin, 2016).

Methodological Trends
The most commonly used data source was questionnaires (n=48), which mainly provided quantitative data, however, only four questionnaires were used in more than one study (e.g., Beliefs About Learning and Teaching Questionnaire; Vosniadou et al., 2020). We found emerging trends in tools that prompted teachers to represent their beliefs about teaching and learning figuratively, through the use of metaphors and similes (n=6), or pictorially (n=4) through the Draw-a-Science/Math-Teacher Task.

Significance
Our review of the literature revealed inconsistencies and inadequacies in foundational research elements, such as belief definitions, construct measurements, and demographic profiles. Further, a tradition of dichotomized analysis (e.g., constructivist versus traditional) inhibits recognition of the nuanced relationships among beliefs within teachers. Addressing educational inequities and enacting reforms requires a deeper understanding of the complex beliefs driving teachers’ classroom intentions, decisions, and actions as well as teachers’ openness to change and engagement in continued professional learning that is needed for teachers to contribute to the “research, remedy, and repair” called for by AERA-President Scott (2024) to achieve ongoing “just educational renewal.”

Authors

• Rebecca Myers, Montclair State University

• Helenrose Fives, Montclair State University

• Shaina Tsiaklis-William, Memorial High School