Division H Vice President International Symposium: Epistemic Beliefs in Education: How Knowledge and Knowing Shape Teacher Practice Across Disciplines

Session Type: Symposium

Abstract

The core goal of teaching is to support student learning and develop competency, requiring both professional knowledge and teachers' beliefs, values, motivations, and self-regulatory skills (Baumert & Kunter, 2006). Beliefs, distinct from knowledge, are subjective, sometimes contradictory, and can influence perceptions and actions (Fives & Buehl, 2012). This symposium focuses on epistemic beliefs (EB), or beliefs about knowledge and knowing, which shape professional behavior and vary by discipline (Muis et al., 2016; Hofer, 2006). Researchers from Austria, Germany, and the UK will present findings on how EB shape teaching in cultural education, medical education, and out-of-field teaching. Clark Chinn will conclude with a critical discussion of the implications for teacher education and professionalization.

Sub Unit

• Division H - Research, Evaluation and Assessment in Schools

Chairs

• Evelyn Goffin, University of Antwerp

• Jana Groß Ophoff, University College of Teacher Education Vorarlberg

Papers

• Cultural Education: epistemological beliefs of teachers. - Caroline Rau, University of Bamberg

• Medical Education Disciplines in Comparison (MEDiC) Project: How health professionals navigate the epistemic ‘boundaries’ of educational research. - Liam Guilfoyle, University of Oxford; Danica Sims, University of Oxford; Jenny Wynn, University of Oxford

• Naïve or sophisticated? Assessing teachers’ epistemic beliefs in relation to in- and out-of-field teaching - Marcel Mayr, University of Linz; Johannes Kepler, University of Linz; Jana Groß Ophoff, University College of Teacher Education Vorarlberg

Discussant

• Clark A. Chinn, Rutgers University