engleski

Teachers' and prospective teachers' beliefs about teaching

One of the important aspects of teaching behaviour are certainly beliefs about teaching. These beliefs play very important role in teaching, as well as in learning process, and due to that, they also have a considerable impact on learning outcomes. This study focuses on final-year students' (prospective teachers), classroom teachers' and subject teachers' beliefs about teaching, and it examines the relations of those beliefs considering their teaching experience and the subject area they teach. The participants in this study were 896 final-year students (prospective classroom and subject teachers), 1185 classroom teachers and 1607 subject teachers from Croatian primary schools. Sub-samples were further divided with regard to subject area and teaching experience (total number of sub-samples=6) Participants were compared considering the subject area (classroom teachers, social sciences and humanities subjects teachers and maths and natural sciences subjects teachers) and considering their teaching experience (students - as an inexperienced group in teaching, since they haven't completed their schooling yet ; teachers-beginners - with five years teaching experience or less ; and experienced teachers - with more than five years of teaching experience). Beliefs About Teaching Scale consisted of 14 items (on a four-point rating scale), measuring the level of teacher-oriented and student-oriented approach. The results for each subscale were analysed by multivariate ANOVA. Obtained results indicate that there is a significant difference between sub-samples considering subject area, as well as their teaching experience. In general, obtained results indicate that students', as well as teachers' approach to teaching is more student- than teacher-oriented. Analysis of results on a traditional orientation-subscale (teacher-oriented approach) indicated that, in general, students-prospective classroom teachers express the lowest level of traditional-orientation. On a more specific level, statistically significant difference was found between those students and subject teachers with more than five years of teaching experience. The differences between other sub-samples were not significant. Analysis of results on a humanistic orientation-subscale (student-oriented approach) analogously indicated that students-prospective classroom teachers express the highest level of humanistic orientation. Those students express significantly higher level of humanistic orientation compared to the subject teachers, regardless to their teaching experience and subject area they teach. Average level of humanistic orientation of students-prospective subject teachers is also significantly higher compared to experienced subject teachers. Classroom teachers, regardless to their teaching experience, also express significantly higher level of humanistic orientation compared to more experienced subject teachers. In conclusion, we could say that students, compared to teachers, express student-oriented approach to the greatest extent, especially compared to teachers with more teaching experience. Further comparison of different sub-samples of teachers indicated that the classroom teachers express highest level of student-oriented approach. Possible explanation of obtained results could be the age of the children that teachers work with. Namely, classroom teachers in Croatia work with children aged 7-10, and the learning needs and capabilities of children that age certainly demand the recognition of the importance of humanistic orientation in order to accomplish desirable teaching and learning goals. Considering that, it is possible that there is somewhat greater sensitivity of classroom teachers for student-oriented approach. Finally, if we consider that teacher education curriculum became, in the mean time, more student-oriented, it is possible that it has the impact on students' beliefs about teaching, and that it results in higher sensitivity of students for humanistic orientation.

teaching behavior; beliefs about teaching; teacher-oriented approach; student-oriented approach

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