Daniel C. Moos, PhD Amanda Miller (Elementary Education Candidate ’ 13 )

1. Personal beliefs as a lens: The role of Epistemological and Self-Regulated Learning beliefs in pre-service teachers’ evaluations of lesson plans Daniel C. Moos, PhD Amanda Miller (Elementary Education Candidate ’13) Research to be presented at American Education Research Association (AERA) in April 2013

2. This study examined how epistemological beliefs (EB) and self-regulated learning beliefs (SRLB) affect pre-service teachers’ evaluation of lesson plans. The sample included 33 pre-service teachers, who were individually run through the study. The participants completed a self-report questionnaire (measuring EB, SRLB, and views of instructional practice), thought aloud as they evaluated two lesson plans, and were interviewed about their views. Participants with more sophisticated views of certain knowledge and innate ability viewed a constructivist approach to teaching as more effective. Participants with stronger constructivist views of teaching made significantly more evaluations based on the lesson plan’s support of self-regulated learning. Participants with stronger traditional views of teaching made significantly fewer evaluations on the student-centered nature of the lesson plan. Overview

3. Daniel C. Moos, PhD Department of Education Gustavus Adolphus College AERA 2013 Overview • Introduction • Personal beliefs • Epistemological beliefs • SRL beliefs • Research Questions • Overview of Study • Research questions • Method and procedure • Data analysis & discussion • Acknowledgements

4. Introduction: Personal Beliefs “Discovery Learning” “Critical Thinking” “Humanistic Approach” “Constructivist Approach”

5. Introduction: Personal Beliefs Teacher as a Facilitator “Discovery Learning” “Critical Thinking” “Humanistic Approach” “Constructivist Approach”

6. Introduction: Personal Beliefs Teacher as a prescriber…. • It is the teachers job to provide a standardized interpretation of the material • Multiple perspectives have little merit • Learning happens quickly or not at all • Students do not have the capacity to regulate their learning

7. Daniel C. Moos, PhD Department of Education Gustavus Adolphus College AERA 2013 Introduction: Personal Beliefs Tall in the the saddle What role does prior knowledge and experience play in pre-service teachers’ development?

8. Introduction: Epistemology Beliefs • What role do personal beliefs play in pre-service teachers’ view of instructional practice? • Epistemological beliefs(Schommer, 1990, 1993a,b ) • Certainty of knowledge: Is knowledge absolute … tentative? • Structure of knowledge: Is knowledge isolated … interconnected? • Authority source of knowledge: Is knowledge transmitted from an authority figure? • Control of knowledge: Is ability fixed … malleable? • Speed of knowledge: Is knowledge acquired quickly … not at all?

9. Introduction: Epistemology Beliefs • What role do personal beliefs play in pre-service teachers’ view of instructional practice? • Self-Regulated Learning Beliefs(Lombaerts et al., 2009): The extent to which students have the capacity to be active participants in their own learning • Students have the capacity to determine what they want to learn • Students should be able to make decisions about the sequence and duration of their learning activities • Each student should be given the opportunity to regulate his/her own learning

10. Daniel C. Moos, PhD Department of Education Gustavus Adolphus College AERA 2013 Overview of Study: Research Questions • 1. To what extent do pre-service teachers’ EB and SRLB affect their views of instructional practices, as evidenced by a self-report questionnaire? • 2. To what extent do pre-service teachers’ views of instructional practices affect their perceptions of lesson plans, as evidenced by a think-aloud protocol?

11. Overview of Study: Participants & Measures • Participants (N = 33) • Pre-service teachers from SLAC in midwest (USA) • 28 males (85%) and 5 females (15%); 17 (52%) elementary, 5 (15%) middle level, and 11 (33%) high school • Measures • Self-regulated Learning & Epistemological Beliefs • Self-Regulated Learning Teacher Belief Scale, self-report (Lombaerts et al., 2009) • Epistemic Belief Inventory, self-report (Shraw, Bendixen, & Dunbkle, 2002) • Instructional Practices • Traditional vs. Constructivist approach, self-report (Chan & Elliot, 2004) • Think-aloud during evaluation of two content specific lesson plans (participants individually run)

12. Measures, continued Self-regulated learning comments (Perry’s work) Lesson Plan Logistics Comments Student Centered Comments • Developmental considerations • Student motivation • Student learning • Chronology • Assessment • Content • Modification • Student Choice • Control of Challenges Open coding process (Strauss & Crobin, 1990)

13. Overview of Study: Results (II) To what extent do pre-service teachers’ EB and SRLB affect their views of instructional practices, as evidenced by a self-report questionnaire? Pre-service teachers who had more sophisticated beliefs related to: • Certain Knowledge • Innate Ability … were significantly more likely to believe that a constructivist approach to teaching was more effective

14. Overview of Study: Results (I) To what extent do pre-service teachers’ views of instructional practices affect their perceptions of lesson plans, as evidenced by a think-aloud protocol? Pre-service teachers with stronger constructivist views of teaching: • Made more evaluations based on the lesson plan’s support of self-regulated learning Pre-service teachers with stronger traditional views of teaching: • Made fewer evaluations based on the student-centered nature of the lesson plan’s

15. Overview of Study: Discussion (I)Theoretical Implications • Applying long held assumption that learners construct knowledge in an idiosyncratic process • Personal beliefs act as a “lens” during evaluation of instructional practices • Pre-service teachers’ attention is guided by their personal beliefs • Raises theoretical consideration of the relationship between metacognition and personal beliefs (Bromme, Pieschl, & Stahl, 2010; Hofer & Sinatra, 2010; Mason & Bromme, 2010; Muis & Franco)

16. Overview of Study: Discussion (II)Theoretical Implications

17. Overview of Study: Discussion (III)Practical Implications • Context for teacher education programs: • Importance of designing a teacher education program that explicitly accounts for this highly individualized process

18. ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ • Thank you! • Daniel C. Moos, PhD • Amanda Miller (Elementary Education Candidate ’13) • ______________________________________________________________________ • Contact Information • Email: dmoos@gustavus.edu • Website: homepages.gac.edu/~dmoos