Changes in Beliefs Regarding Good Teachers and the Characteristics of Child Development of Primary Education Students
Keywords:
beliefs, child development, good teacher, primary education, students
Abstract
In a longitudinal study, we determine the beliefs of primary education students regarding the factors of academic achievement, good teachers, and the developmental characteristics of children, and we present which experiences mostly shape these beliefs. The same group of students (N = 59) completed the same questionnaire at the beginning of their first year and then at the end of their postgraduate studies. At both measurements, the students stated that the pupils themselves are the most responsible for their academic achievement (approximately 33%). At the beginning of the study, the students mostly showed idealised beliefs regarding what makes a good teacher, such as he/she is self-controlled and calm in all situations; he/she likes all children equally, etc. At the end, the results showed a reshaping of most idealised beliefs about what makes good teachers towards more realistic ones. Regarding the developmental characteristics of children, at the beginning and at the end of
their studies the students had similar beliefs that heredity and environment contribute to an individual’s development. At the end of their studies, the students are significantly less convinced that experience from an early age decisively influences their further development, that there are no major differences in cognitive abilities of pupils of the same class, that
a child who knows a lot of information is clever, and that school is not a place for the expression of emotions. According to the students, direct experiences in the classroom have the most significant influence on the beliefs among all the factors that we have examined in the study.
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References
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Sutton, R. E. (2004). Emotional regulation goals and strategies of teachers. Social Psychology of
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Wang, M. C., Haertel, H. J., & Walberg, H. J. (1993). Towards a knowledge base for school learning.
Review of Educational Research, 63(3), 249–294.
Xu, L. (2012). The role of teachers’ beliefs in the language teaching-learning process, Theory and
Practice in Language Studies, 2(7), 1397–1402.
BeÄaj, J. (1990). Problem velikih priÄakovanj in uÄiteljeve odgovornosti: UÄiteljeva priÄakovanja
in odgovornost v Gordonovem komunikacijskem treningu [The problem of high expectations and responsibilities of the teacher: The teacher expectations and responsibility in Gordon’s communication training]. Ljubljana: Svetovalni center za otroke, mladostnike in starše.
Bregant, T. (2012). Razvoj, rast in zorenje možganov [Brain development, growth, and maturation]. Psihološka obzorja, 21(2), 51–60.
Doolittle, S. A., Dodds, P., & Placek, J. H. (1993). Persistence of beliefs about teaching during formal training of preservice teachers. Journal of Teaching in Physical Education, 12, 355–365.
Fajet, W., Bello, M., Leftwich, S. A., Mesler J. M., & Shaver, A. N. (2004). Pre-service teachers’
perceptions in beginning education classes. Teaching and Teacher Education, 21(6), 717–727.
Gardner, H. (2010). Introduction. In H. Gardner (Ed.), GoodWork: Theory and practice (pp. 1–21).
Retrieved from http://www.thegoodproject.org/pdf/GoodWork-Theory_and_Practice-with_covers.pdf
Gogala, S. (2005). Izbrani pedagoški spisi [Selected educational papers]. Ljubljana: Društvo 2000.
Gordon, T. (1983). Trening veÄje uÄinkovitosti za uÄitelje [Efficiency training for teachers]. Ljubljana: Svetovalni center.
Guidebook: GoodWork toolkit: Excellence, ethics, engagement (2010). The presidents and fellows
of Harvard College on behalf of project Zero. Retrieved from http://www.thegoodproject.org/pdf/GoodWork-Toolkit-guide.pdf
Hermans, R., van Braak, J., & Van Keer, H. (2008). Development of the beliefs about primary education scale: Distinguishing a developmental and transmissive dimension. Teaching and Teacher Education, 24(1), 127–139.
Hosotani, R., & Imai-Matsumura, K. (2011). Emotional experience, expression, and regulation of highquality Japanese elementary school teachers. Teaching and Teacher Education, 27(6), 1039–1048.
Howard Jones, P. (2010). Introducing neuroeducational research. London, UK: Routledge.
Kail, R. V., & Cavanaugh, J. C. (2016). Human development: A life-span view (7th ed.) Belmont, TN:
Wadsworth.
Korthagen, F. A. J. (2004). In search of the essence of a good teacher: Towards a more holistic approach in teacher education. Teaching and Teacher Education, 20(1), 77–97.
Krek, J., & Metljak, M. (Ed.) (2011). Bela knjiga o vzgoji in izobraževanju v Republiki Sloveniji [White book on education in the Republic of Slovenia]. Ljubljana: Zavod RS za šolstvo.
Lofstrom, E., & Poom-Valickis, K. (2013). Beliefs about teaching: Persistent or malleable? A longitudinal study of prospective student teachers’ beliefs. Teaching and Teacher Education, 35, 104–113.
MarjanoviÄ Umek, L., & Svetina, M. (2004). Spoznavni in govorni razvoj v srednjem in poznem
otroÅ¡tvu [Cognitive and language development in middle and late childhood]. In L. MarjanoviÄ Umek & M. ZupanÄiÄ (Eds.), Razvojna psihologija (pp. 408–427). Ljubljana: Znanstvenoraziskovalni inÅ¡titut Filozofske fakultete.
Minor, L. C., Onwuegbuzie, A. J., Witcher, A. E., & James, T. L. (2002). Preservice teachers' educational beliefs and their perceptions of characteristics of effective teachers. The Journal of Educational Research, 96(2), 116–127.
Mishima, T., Horimoto, A., & Mori, T. (2010). Changes in the images of teaching, teachers, and children expressed by student teachers before and after student teaching. Psychological Reports, 106(3), 769–784.
Pajares, M. F. (1992). Teachers’ beliefs and educational research: Cleaning up a messy construct. Review of Educational Research, 62(3), 307–332.
Piaget, J., & Inhelder, B. (1978). Intelektualni razvoj deteta [Intellectual development of a child]. Beograd: Zavod za udžbenike in nastavna sredstva.
Plomin, R. (2004). Nature and nurture. An introduction to human behavioral genetics. Belmont, TN: Wadsworth.
Prosen, S., Smrtnik Vitulić, H., & Poljšak-Škraban, O. (2011). Teachers’ emotional expression in
interaction with students of different ages. CEPS Journal, 1(3), 141–157.
Protner, E. (2000). Pedagogika in izobraževanje uÄiteljev (1919–1941) [Pedagogy and teacher education (1919–1941)]. Nova gorica: Educa.
Puklek LevpuÅ¡Äek, M., & ZupanÄiÄ, M. (2009). Osebnostni, motivacijski in socialni dejavniki
uÄne uspeÅ¡nosti [Personal, motivational and social factors of school achievement]. Ljubljana:
Znanstvenoraziskovalni inštitut Filozofske fakultete.
Sanders, S. E. (2002). What do schools think makes a good mathematics teacher? Educational Studies, 28(2), 181–191.
Å arić, M. (2015). ÄŒustva uÄiteljev: pregled raziskav s psiholoÅ¡ke perspektive [Teachers' emotions: a research review from a psychological perspective]. Sodobna pedagogika, 66(4), 10–26.
Å imonka, Z., & KoÅ¡ir, K. (2014). Odnos med prepriÄanji in spoprijemanjem z negativnimi Äustvi v
razredu pri uÄiteljih osnovne Å¡ole [Relationship between primary school teachers`beliefs and coping with negative emotions in the classroom]. Revija za elementarno izobraževanje, 7(3/4), 33–48.
Smrtnik Vitulić, H., & ZupanÄiÄ, M. (2013). Robust and specific personality traits as predictors of
adolescents’ final grades and GPA at the end of compulsory schooling. European Journal of Psychology of Education, 28(4), 1181–1199.
Smrtnik Vitulić, H. (2009). Spoznavanje otrok v razredu [Understanding children in class]. Ljubljana: Pedagoška fakulteta.
Sutton, R. E. (2004). Emotional regulation goals and strategies of teachers. Social Psychology of
Education, 7(4), 379–398.
Thomas, L., & Beauchamp, C. (2011). Understanding new teachers’ professional identities through metaphor. Teaching and Teacher Education, 27(4), 762–769.
ValenÄiÄ Zuljan, M. (2012). Profesionalne poti pedagoÅ¡kih delavcev [Professional pathways of pedagogical workers]. VrÅ¡ac: Visoka Å¡kola strukovnih studija za obrazovanje vaspitaÄa »Mihailo Palov«.
Wang, M. C., Haertel, H. J., & Walberg, H. J. (1993). Towards a knowledge base for school learning.
Review of Educational Research, 63(3), 249–294.
Xu, L. (2012). The role of teachers’ beliefs in the language teaching-learning process, Theory and
Practice in Language Studies, 2(7), 1397–1402.
Published
2017-12-22
How to Cite
Smrtnik VituliÄH., & Lesar, I. (2017). Changes in Beliefs Regarding Good Teachers and the Characteristics of Child Development of Primary Education Students. Center for Educational Policy Studies Journal, 7(4), 185-205. https://doi.org/10.26529/cepsj.370
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