Beliefs of Constructivist Teachers Using a Novice through Expert Rubric

• Main Authors: Varrella, Gary F, Burry-Stock, Judith
• Format: Report
• Language: English
• Published: 01.11.1996
• Subjects: Constructivism (Learning); Educational Environment; Elementary Secondary Education; Research Methodology; Science Teachers; Scoring Rubrics; Teacher Attitudes; Teacher Student Relationship

This paper reports on a pilot study that is designed to become an element of a larger research endeavor. The larger study will explore relationships between how teachers teach in the classroom, those teachers' perceptions of their own pedagogical practice, and the beliefs of those teachers about the roles of the student and the teacher in the learning environment. The purpose of this pilot study was to develop a rubric to assess teachers' beliefs about constructivist teaching and learning. Study participants included 20 teachers with teaching assignments ranging from the grades 6-10. An open ended question "My perception of the relationship between students and teachers in the learning environment..." was used to invite responses in the teachers' own words. The scoring rubric, the Science Teacher's Belief about the Learning Environment, used 13 characteristics to assess teachers' beliefs. Although individual responses included a variety of forms, the utility of the rubric design was evident in the relatively equal ease of use in assessing the varied responses. It can be inferred that there is good evidence of a theoretical construct in the case of the "Science Teacher's Beliefs about the Learning Environment" scoring rubric. (Contains 46 references.) (ND)