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Mi. 12.09.| Einzelbeiträge 41 | 12:00 Uhr – 12:40 Uhr | Raum T2 214
Björn Mokwinski 1 , Karin Rebmann 1 , Manuela Paechter²
Do teachers differ between their own epistemic beliefs and the beliefs
they assume of their pupils?
1 Carl von Ossietzky Universität Oldenburg, ²Karl-Franzens-Universität Graz
karin.rebmann@uni-oldenburg.de
Epistemic beliefs are assumed to serve an important function in learning and instruction.
However, there is hardly any research on the question whether teachers differentiate between
their own epistemic beliefs and the beliefs they assume that their pupils hold. Yet, this question
may be crucial for understanding a teacher’s instructional design.
In this study, we investigated two research questions: (1) How can we best describe teachers’
epistemic beliefs? Can we identify groups of teachers who differ in their beliefs? (2) Do teachers
differ between their own beliefs and what they assume their pupils believe? To which degree do
teachers’ beliefs they assume of their pupils depend on their own epistemic beliefs? A sample of
182 pre-service teachers, all students at Oldenburg University, described their own epistemic
beliefs by the Epistemic Beliefs Inventory before starting a five-week internship at a vocational
school. Approximately ten weeks after their internship, they were asked to describe the beliefs
of a typical pupil they had met in their internship.
For the identification of different groups of teachers, a Latent Class Analysis was calculated. For
each dimension of epistemic beliefs, LCA indicated two subgroups, one with more and one with
less sophisticated beliefs. Teachers with more sophisticated own beliefs assumed less
sophisticated beliefs of their pupils. Teachers with less sophisticated beliefs usually assume
similar or slightly higher beliefs of their pupils. However, both groups of teachers have a similar
view on the beliefs their students hold.
Schraw, G., Bendixen, L. D., Dunkle, M. E. (2002), Development and validation of the Epistemic Belief Inventory
(EBI), in B. K. Hofer, P. R. Pintrich (Eds.), Personal epistemology, Erlbaum, Mahwah, 261-275.
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