Equitable Epistemology: Examining the Interplay of Cultural Contexts in Teachers' Epistemic Beliefs

• In Event: Interrogating the Experiences of Principals, Teachers, School Counselors

Abstract

Taking an equity perspective, this study examined the structures of Nigerian teacher candidates’ epistemic beliefs about teaching and learning. The study found that contextual realities influence the beliefs about knowledge and knowing that Nigerian teachers construct. The Nigerian teacher had more complex dimensions not aligning with the existing widely-used epistemic beliefs framework demonstrating a need for expanded theoretical and empirical efforts favoring teachers’ deep cultural learning in contexts as they learn to teach. The roles of contextual realities in teacher candidates’ meaning making shaping the construction of epistemic beliefs across contexts and implications for educational research are discussed.

Author

• O. Matthew Odebiyi, St Cloud State University