The Role of Beliefs in the Practice of Teaching Final Report of the Teacher Beliefs Study
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DOCUMENT RESUME ED 270 446 SP 027 724 AUTHOR Nespor, Jan K. TITLE The Role of Beliefs in the Practice of Teaching: Final Report of the Teacher Beliefs Study. INSTITUTION Texas Univ., Austin. Research and Development Center for Teacher Education. SPONS AGENCY National Inst. of Education (ED), Washington, DC. PUB DATE Jan 85 GRANT NIE-G-83-0006 NOTE 231p. PUB TYPE Reports Research/Technical (143) EDRS PRICE MF01/PC10 Plus Postage. DESCRIPTORS *Beliefs; *Cognitive Structures; Institutional Environment; Role Perception; *Teacher Attitudes; *Teacher Role; *Teaching Experience; Teaching Methods IDENTIFIERS *Teacher Beliefs Study ABSTRACT This report summarizes the conceptual framework, findings, and methods of the Teacher Beliefs Study,an intensive, two-year program of research on the structures and functions of teachers' belief systems. Eight teachers in three school districts were videotaped over the course of a semester and were interviewed for a total of approxilnately 20 hours using a variety of techniques, including stimulated recall and "repertory grid" interview techniques), The first chapter of the report developsa conceptual framework for the analysis of beliefs, drawing on recent researcton the nature of cognition in complex or "entangled" environments. The second chapter describes the contexts of the three schools in 'Mich the teachers were observed, and discusses the possible implications of these settings for teachers' practices. The third chapterpresents a set of eight case studies describing the nature and operations of a core set of the beliefs of the teachers in the sample. Chapter four then speculates on the implications of the findings for future research and teacher education practice. Methodology is discussed in three appendices. A 10-page list of references concludes the document. (Author/JD) *********************************************************************** * Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best thatcan be made * * from the original document.. * ***************%******************************************************* THE ROLE OF BELIEFS IN THE PRACTICE OF TEACHING: FINAL REPORT OF THE TEACHER BELIEFS STUDY Jan K. Nespor R&D Center for Teacher Education The University of Texas at Austin NATIONALINSTITUTE OF EDUCATION "PERMISSION TOREPRODUCE THIS MATERIAL HAS EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION BEN GRANTED BY CENTER IOW C.J This document has Mienreproduced as Mcorvod from On Parsonor ofilanization origrimnq It C.J Minor changes hays Wenmode to num* reproduction quality. Points of view or opinions stated TO THE EDUCATIONAL in this docu- RESOURCES ment do not nceseenly represent official NIE INFORMATION CENTER(ERIC)." position or or:grey To order additional copies of this report or acatalog of publications, contact Communication Services, Research & Development Center forTeacher Education, The University of Texas at Austin, Education Annex3.203, Austin, Texas 78712. The project presented or reported herein wasperformed pursuant to a grant from the National Institute of Education, Departmentof Education. However, the opinions expressed herein do not necessarilyreflect the position or policy of the National Institute of Education, and noofficial endorsement by the National Institute of Education should beinferred. BEST COPYAVAILABLE THE ROLE OF BELIEFS IN THE PRACTICE OF TEACHING: FINAL REPORT OF THE TEACHER BELIEFS STUDY Jan K. Nespor R&D Center for Teacher Edur:ation The University of Texas at Austin (R&D Report 8024) January 1985 This study was supported by the National Institute ofEducation under Grant NIE-G-83-0006, The Research and DevelopmentCenter for Teacher Education, The University of Texas at Austin. The opinions expressed herein do not necessarily reflect the positionor policy of the National Institute of Education, and no official endorsementby that office should be inferred. Requests for copies should be addressedto: Communication Services, R&DCTE, EDA 3.203, The Universityof Texas at Austin, The University of Texas at Austin. Abstract This report summarizes the conceptual framework, Fodings, and methods of the Teacher Beliefs Study, an intensive, two-year program of research on the structures and functions of teachers' belief systems. Eight teachers in three school districts were videotaped over the course of a semester andwere interviewed for a total of approximately 20 hours (using a variety of techniques, including stimulated recall and "repertory grid" interview techniques). The first chapter of the report develops a conceptual framework for the analysis of beliefs, drawing on recent research on the nature of cognition in complex or "entangled" environments. The second chapter of the report describes the contexts of the three schools in which teachers were observed, and discusses the possible implications of these settings for teachers' practices. The third chapter presents a set of eight case studies describing the nature and operations of a core set of the beliefs of the teachers in the sample. Chapter four then speculates on the implications of the findings for future research and teacher education practice. Methodology is discussed in three appendices. Appendix A describes teacher selection. Appendix B describes the repertory grid interviews. Appendix C discusses the videotaping of classrooms and the stimulated recall interviews. t) Acknowledgments and Disclaimers Along with the author, three other researchers were involved in the Teacher Beliefs Study. Criss Cloudt McCuller negotiated access to the sites, helped formulate the methodology of the study, and helped collect data on two of the Countryside teachers. Frank Campos helped interview and observe the other six teachers in the study. Sara'a Dennard was responsible for videotaping all eight teachers, a task she perfnmed with a good wilt, in spite of the constant breakdowns in the antique equiptieut she had to use. The present author is alone responsible for the interpretation given here to the data jointly collected. Thanks must also be given to the eight teachers who participated in the study, as well as to the principals and vice-principals of their schools. To protect confidentiality, all must be referred to by pseudonyms in thisreport. Table of Contents Page INTRODUCTION Overview of the Study 1 Design of the Study 6 CHAPTER ONE: CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK: THE NATURE OF BELIEF SYSTEMS . 10 The Structures of Beliefs 11 The Functions of Beliefs 18 CHAPTER TWO: SCHOOLS AND SETTINGS 29 Countryside 31 Cityside 44 Middleburg 55 Possible Implications 63 CHAPTER THREE:THE TEACHERS 67 Mr. Larson: A Countryside History Teacher 68 Ms. Cargill: A Middleburg History Teacher 79 Na. Marsh: A Countryside History Teacher 91 Mr. Franklin: A Cityside History Teacher 101 Ms. Skylark: A Countryside English Teacher 111 Ms. Richards: ACityside English Teacher 120 Mr. Ralston: A Countryside Math Teacher 129 Ms. Hunt: A Middleburg Math Teacher 139 CHAPTER FOUR: DISCUSSION OF THE CASE STUDIES AND THEIR IMPLICATIONS . 150 Subject Matter Conceptions 150 Career Influences 161 Teaching Experience 165 APPENDIX A: SELECTION OF PARTICIPATING TEACHERS 173 APPENDIX B: THE REPERTORY GRID INTERVIEW TECHNIQUE 178 APPENDIX C: THE USE OF STIMULATED RECALL TECHNIQUESIN THE TEACHER BELIEFS STUDY 193 REFERENCES 215 THE ROLE OF BELIEFS IN THE PRACTICE OF TEACHING: FINAL REPORT OF THE TEACHER BELIEFS STUDY Introduction This report summarizes the conceptual framework, findings, and methods of the Teacher Beliefs Study (TBS), an investigation of the structures and functions of teachers' "beliefs" about their rolesas teachers, their students, the subject matter areas they teach, and the schools they work in (for other reports from the project,see Nespor, 1984a; 1984b; Nespor, Cloudt McCuller 6 Campos, 1984). The TBS arose as a way of addressing two questions relatingto an oft- noted "problem" in research on teacher education: the fact that teachers' practices are heavily influenced by their experiences in classrooms--more so, indeed, than by their formal training. Lortie (1975, pp. 61-67), for example, argues that teachers "internalize" modes of practice while serving an "apprenticeship-of-observation" as students. He concludes (Lortie, 1975): that education students have usually internalized . the practices of their own teachers. If teachers are to adapt their behavior to changed circumstances, they will have to be freed of unconscious influences of this kind; what they bring from the past should be as thoroughly examined as alternatives in the present. (p. 230) Teachers are thus said to have learned about teaching while they themselves were students. Lanier (1984) also stresses that teachers acquire many of their practices in the course of teaching: Teachers learn to think that the way to learn more about teaching is through trail and error, not through careful thought and scholarship. What is considered most important is whether a particular technique or approach seems to give immediate practical success. (p. 85) For both Lortie (1975) and Lanier (1984), the influence of experience is seen as primarily negative. Lortie sees it as an impediment to "scientific modes of reasoning," while Lanier sees it as the antithesis of "careful thought and scholarship." Neither, however, explains why experience plays 1 such a heavy role in learning to teach, although by implication theyseem to suggest that it has something to do with the poor quality of teacher training. And yet there are some puzzling aspects to these arguments. Lortie claims that the internalization of teaching