Chapter 6: Teacher Education And Teachers' Beliefs: Theoretical and Measurement Concerns

It can be said that one of the most prolific areas of research in teacher education is that having to do with attitudes, dispositions or beliefs. In this chapter we will use the term “belief” to encompass commonly used terms such as teachers’ beliefs, dispositions, and attitudes (see Pajares, 1992 for an excellent discussion of the meaning of the terms attitudes, beliefs and dispositions, especially pp. 313-316). We use the term “belief” in association with teacher-oriented interventions (such as preservice teacher preparation) over the other terms based on the notion that beliefs are convictions of the truth largely reliant on examination of evidence by individuals or by a social group (as opposed to personal preferences or opinions) for their validation.