Research Article

PHYSICS TEACHERS’ EPISTEMOLOGICAL BELIEFS: CORE AND PERIPHERAL DIMENSIONS

Volume: 14 Number: 2 May 30, 2024
TR EN

PHYSICS TEACHERS’ EPISTEMOLOGICAL BELIEFS: CORE AND PERIPHERAL DIMENSIONS

Abstract

This study aims to examine physics teachers’ beliefs about knowledge, science, teaching and learning science to understand the relationship among four belief systems. Participants were 59 high school physics teachers, who were interviewed once through a semi-structured interview protocol. The interviews were transcribed and analyzed through constant comparative method to categorize teachers’ beliefs in different levels: traditional, transitional, and constructivist and quantify the nominal data for descriptive, correlational statistics, and structural equation modeling. The results indicated that teachers mostly held transitional beliefs about knowledge and science while their beliefs were constructivist on teaching and learning science. There was a significant relationship between beliefs about knowledge and science as core beliefs and between beliefs about teaching and learning science as peripheral beliefs, positive correlation was found between core and peripheral beliefs. These findings offer a report as a guide to address teachers’ beliefs through the design of future professional development programs.

Keywords

Ethical Statement

This study was conducted through taking ethical approval from the researchers’ university to collect data and keep the participants’ confidentiality. Ethical form is available upon request.

References

  1. Bahcivan, E. (2014). Examining relationships among Turkish preservice science teachers’ conceptions of teaching and learning, scientific epistemological beliefs and science teaching efficacy beliefs. Journal of Baltic Science Education, 13(6), 870–882. https://doi.org/10.33225/jbse/14.13.870
  2. Belo, N. A., van Driel, J. H., van Veen, K., & Verloop, N. (2014). Beyond the dichotomy of teacher-versus student-focused education: A survey study on physics teachers' beliefs about the goals and pedagogy of physics education. Teaching and teacher education, 39, 89-101. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2013.12.008
  3. Bråten, I., & Ferguson, L. E. (2015). Beliefs about sources of knowledge predict motivation for learning in teacher education. Teaching and Teacher Education, 50, 13-23. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2015.04.003
  4. Bråten, I., & Strømsø, H. I. (2006). Epistemological beliefs, interest, and gender as predictors of Internet-based learning activities. Computers in Human Behavior, 22(6), 1027-1042. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2004.03.026
  5. Brownlee, J. (2001). Knowing & Learning in Teacher Education: A Theoretical Framework of Core & Peripheral Epistemological Beliefs. Asia-Pacific Journal of Teacher Education & Development, 131-155.
  6. Brownlee, J. L., Scholes, L., Walker, S., & Johansson, E. (2016). Critical values education in the early years: Alignment of teachers’ personal epistemologies and practices for active citizenship. Teaching and teacher education, 59, 261-273. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2016.06.009
  7. Buehl, M. M., Alexander, P. A., & Murphy, P. K. (2002). Beliefs about schooled knowledge: Domain specific or domain general?. Contemporary educational psychology, 27(3), 415-449. https://doi.org/10.1006/ceps.2001.1103
  8. Buehl, M. M., & Beck, J. S. (2015). The relationship between teachers’ beliefs and teachers’ practices. International handbook of research on teachers’ beliefs, 1, 66-82.

Details

Primary Language

English

Subjects

Teacher Education and Professional Development of Educators

Journal Section

Research Article

Early Pub Date

May 25, 2024

Publication Date

May 30, 2024

Submission Date

December 11, 2023

Acceptance Date

April 15, 2024

Published in Issue

Year 2024 Volume: 14 Number: 2

APA
Sengul, O. (2024). PHYSICS TEACHERS’ EPISTEMOLOGICAL BELIEFS: CORE AND PERIPHERAL DIMENSIONS. Trakya Eğitim Dergisi, 14(2), 942-955. https://doi.org/10.24315/tred.1403302
AMA
1.Sengul O. PHYSICS TEACHERS’ EPISTEMOLOGICAL BELIEFS: CORE AND PERIPHERAL DIMENSIONS. Trakya Eğitim Dergisi. 2024;14(2):942-955. doi:10.24315/tred.1403302
Chicago
Sengul, Ozden. 2024. “PHYSICS TEACHERS’ EPISTEMOLOGICAL BELIEFS: CORE AND PERIPHERAL DIMENSIONS”. Trakya Eğitim Dergisi 14 (2): 942-55. https://doi.org/10.24315/tred.1403302.
EndNote
Sengul O (May 1, 2024) PHYSICS TEACHERS’ EPISTEMOLOGICAL BELIEFS: CORE AND PERIPHERAL DIMENSIONS. Trakya Eğitim Dergisi 14 2 942–955.
IEEE
[1]O. Sengul, “PHYSICS TEACHERS’ EPISTEMOLOGICAL BELIEFS: CORE AND PERIPHERAL DIMENSIONS”, Trakya Eğitim Dergisi, vol. 14, no. 2, pp. 942–955, May 2024, doi: 10.24315/tred.1403302.
ISNAD
Sengul, Ozden. “PHYSICS TEACHERS’ EPISTEMOLOGICAL BELIEFS: CORE AND PERIPHERAL DIMENSIONS”. Trakya Eğitim Dergisi 14/2 (May 1, 2024): 942-955. https://doi.org/10.24315/tred.1403302.
JAMA
1.Sengul O. PHYSICS TEACHERS’ EPISTEMOLOGICAL BELIEFS: CORE AND PERIPHERAL DIMENSIONS. Trakya Eğitim Dergisi. 2024;14:942–955.
MLA
Sengul, Ozden. “PHYSICS TEACHERS’ EPISTEMOLOGICAL BELIEFS: CORE AND PERIPHERAL DIMENSIONS”. Trakya Eğitim Dergisi, vol. 14, no. 2, May 2024, pp. 942-55, doi:10.24315/tred.1403302.
Vancouver
1.Ozden Sengul. PHYSICS TEACHERS’ EPISTEMOLOGICAL BELIEFS: CORE AND PERIPHERAL DIMENSIONS. Trakya Eğitim Dergisi. 2024 May 1;14(2):942-55. doi:10.24315/tred.1403302