Student teachers’ perception of dilemmatic demands and the relation to epistemological beliefs
Main Article Content
Abstract
Teaching is characterized by contradictory demands, resulting in teaching dilemmas. For example, to promote the continuous learning of students, teachers need to set up rules and control them, which in turn can undermine students’ intrinsic motivation. Teachers have to become aware of these contradictions and need to understand that not all aspects of good teaching can be maximized at the same time. An adequate representation of the dilemmatic nature of problems of teaching is therefore crucial for judging different teaching situations. Also, an adequate epistemological understanding is needed. We assessed student teachers’ (N = 122) perceptions of demands in teaching in general and in regards to specific situations, as well as their epistemological beliefs. Perception of demands in general influenced the judgment of specific situations, but there was also a situation-specific component. Epistemological beliefs were related to the perceptions of demands in general, especially in situations in which the dilemmatic content was highly visible. Together, findings suggest that epistemological beliefs shape the perception of demands in teaching in general, and that the perception of demand in general again influences perception in specific situations.
Article Details
How to Cite
Wegner, E., Anders, N., & Nückles, M. (2014). Student teachers’ perception of dilemmatic demands and the relation to epistemological beliefs. Frontline Learning Research, 2(3), 46–63. https://doi.org/10.14786/flr.v2i2.83
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Labaree, D. F. (2000). On the nature of teaching and teacher education: Difficult practices that look easy. Journal of Teacher Education, 51(3), 228-233.
Lampert, M. (1985). How do teachers manage to teach? Perspectives on problems in practice. Harvard Educational Review, 55(2), 178-195.
Levin, B. B. (2002). Dilemma-based cases written by preservice elementary teacher candidates: An analysis of process and content. Teaching Education, 13(2), 203-218.
Nespor, J. (1987). The Role of Beliefs in the Practice of Teaching. Journal of Curriculum Studies, 19(4), 317–328.
Osborne, M. D. (1997). Balancing individual and the group: A dilemma for the constructivist teacher. Journal of Curriculum Studies, 29(2), 183-196.
Pearson, P., DeStefano, L., & Garcia, G. (1998). Ten dilemmas of performance assessment. In: Harrison, c. &
Salinger, T. (Eds) Assessing reading: Theory and practice (pp. 21-49). London: Routledge.
Renkl, A., Mandl, H., & Gruber, H. (1996). Inert knowledge: Analyses and remedies: Educational Psychologist. Educational Psychologist, 31(2), 115-121.
Schoen, L. (2005). Learning to make sense of the dilemmas of teaching practice: An exploration of pre-service teachers. Online Submission Journal Citation: Ph.D. Dissertation. Boston: Boston College.
Schommer, M. (1994). Synthesizing epistemological belief research: Tentative understandings and provocative confusions. Educational Psychology Review, 6(4), 293–319.
Schön, D. (1983). The reflective practitioner: How professionals think in action: Basic books.
Schwab, J.J. (1964). The structure of disciplines: Meanings and significance. In: Ford, G.W. & Pugno, L. (Eds.). The structure of knowledge and the curriculum. Chicago: Rand McNally.
Schwab, R. L., & Iwanicki, E. F. (1982). Perceived role conflict, role ambiguity, and teacher burnout. Educational Administration Quarterly, 18(1), 60-74.
Stahl, E., & Bromme, R. (2007). The CAEB: An instrument for measuring connotative aspects of epistemological beliefs. Learning and Instruction, 17(6), 773–785.
Trautwein, U., & Lüdtke, O. (2007). Epistemological beliefs, school achievement, and college major: A large-scale longitudinal study on the impact of certainty beliefs. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 32(3), 348-366.
Wegner, E. & Nückles, M. (2011). Die Wirkung hochschuldidaktischer Weiterbildung auf den Umgang mit widersprüchlichen Handlungsanforderungen. [Impact of professional development on dealing with contradictory demands in teaching]. Zeitschrift für Hochschulentwicklung, 6 (3), 172-188.
Windschitl, M. (2002). Framing constructivism in practice as the negotiation of dilemmas: An analysis of the conceptual, pedagogical, cultural, and political challenges facing teachers. Review of Educational Research, 72(2), 131-175.
Ball, D. L. (1993). With an eye on the mathematical horizon: dilemmas of teaching elementary school mathematics. The Elementary School Journal, 93(4), 373-397.
Barcelos, A. M. F. (2001). The interaction between students' beliefs and teachers' beliefs and dilemmas. In B. Johnston & S. Irujo (Eds.), Research and practice in language teacher education. Selected papers from the first international on language teacher education (pp. 69-86). Minneapolis: University of Minnesota.
Berlak, A., & Berlak, H. (1981). Dilemmas of schooling: Teaching and social change: London: Routledge.
Berry, A. (2007). Reconceptualizing teacher educator knowledge as tensions: Exploring the tension between valuing and reconstructing experience. Studying Teacher Education, 3(2), 117-134.
Bräu, K. (2008). Die Betreuung selbstständigen Lernens—vom Umgang mit Antinomien und Dilemmata. [Supporting self-regulated learning – of dealing with antinomies and dilemmas].In: Breidenstein, G. & Schütze F.: Paradoxien in der Reform der Schule. Ergebnisse qualitativer Sozialforschung. [Paradoxes of the school reform. Results of qualitative research.] (pp. 179-199) Wiesbaden: VS Verlag für Sozialwissenschaften.
Brodie, K. (2010). Pressing dilemmas: meaning-making and justification in mathematics teaching. Journal of Curriculum Studies, 42(1), 27-50.
Brookhart, S. M. (1994). Teachers' grading: practice and theory. Applied Measurement in Education, 7(4), 279-301.
Calderhead, J. (1989). Reflective teaching and teacher education. Teaching and Teacher Education, 5(1), 43-51.
Cuban, L. (1992). Managing dilemmas while building professional communities. Educational researcher, 21(1), 4-11.
Deci, E.L. & Ryan, R.M. (1985). Intrinsic motivation and self-determination in human behavior. New York: Plenum Press.
Dann, H.-D. (2008). Lehrerkognitionen und Handlungsentscheidungen. [Teachers‘ cognitions & decision making]. In: Schweer, M. K. W. (Ed.): Lehrer-Schüler-Interaktion. Inhaltsfelder, Forschungsperspektiven und methodische Zugänge [Teacher-student-interaktion. Content areas, perspectives for research and methodology] (pp. 177-207). Opladen: Leske und Budrich
Elby, A., & Hammer, D. (2001). On the substance of a sophisticated epistemology. Science Education, 85(5), 554–567.
Fenstermacher, G. (1994). The knower and the known: The nature of knowledge in research on teaching. Review of research in education, 20, 3-56.
Geddis, A. N., & Wood, E. (1997). Transforming subject matter and managing dilemmas: A case study in teacher education. Teaching and Teacher Education, 13(6), 611-626.
Hager, P., Gonczi, A., & Athanasou, J. (1994). General issues about assessment of competence. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 19(1), 3-16.
Harrington, H. L. (1995). Fostering reasoned decisions: Case-based pedagogy and the professional development of teachers. Teaching and Teacher Education, 11(3), 203-214.
Hatton, N., & Smith, D. (1995). Reflection in teacher education: Towards definition and implementation. Teaching and Teacher Education, 11(1), 33-49.
Helsper, W. (2004). Antinomien, Widersprüche, Paradoxien: Lehrerarbeit – ein unmögliches Geschäft? [Antinomies, contradiction, paradoxes: Working as a teacher – an impossible Job?] In B. Koch-Priewe, Kolbe Fritz-Ulrich, & J.
Wildt (Eds.), Grundlagenforschung und mikrodidaktische Reformansätze zur Lehrerbildung [Fundamental research and microdidactic reform ideas in teacher education] (pp. 49-98). Bad Heilbrunn/Obb.: Klinkhardt.
Hofer, B. K., & Pintrich, P. R. (1997). The development of epistemological theories: Beliefs about knowledge and knowing and their relation to learning. Review of educational research, 67(1), 88-140.
King, P. M., & Kitchener, K. S. (1994). Developing reflective judgment: Understanding and promoting intellectual growth and critical thinking in adolescents and adults. Jossey-Bass: San Francisco.
Kitchener, K. S. (1983). Cognition, Metacognition and Epistemic Cognition: A Three-Level Model of Cognitive Processing. Human Development, 26(4), 222–232.
Koedinger, K. R., & Aleven, V. (2007). Exploring the assistance dilemma in experiments with cognitive tutors. Educational Psychology Review, 19(3), 239-264.
Krettenauer, T. (2005). Die Erfassung des Entwicklungsniveaus epistemologischer Überzeugungen und das Problem der Übertragbarkeit von Interviewverfahren in standardisierte Fragebogenmethoden. [Measuring the developmental level of epistemological beliefs and the problem of transfering interview procedures to standardized questionnaire methods] Zeitschrift für Entwicklungspsychologie und Pädagogische Psychologie, 37(2), 69–79.
Kuhn, D. (1991). The skill of argument. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Kuhn, D., Cheney, R., & Weinstock, M. (2000). The development of epistemological understanding. Cognitive Development, 15(3), 309–328.
Labaree, D. F. (2000). On the nature of teaching and teacher education: Difficult practices that look easy. Journal of Teacher Education, 51(3), 228-233.
Lampert, M. (1985). How do teachers manage to teach? Perspectives on problems in practice. Harvard Educational Review, 55(2), 178-195.
Levin, B. B. (2002). Dilemma-based cases written by preservice elementary teacher candidates: An analysis of process and content. Teaching Education, 13(2), 203-218.
Nespor, J. (1987). The Role of Beliefs in the Practice of Teaching. Journal of Curriculum Studies, 19(4), 317–328.
Osborne, M. D. (1997). Balancing individual and the group: A dilemma for the constructivist teacher. Journal of Curriculum Studies, 29(2), 183-196.
Pearson, P., DeStefano, L., & Garcia, G. (1998). Ten dilemmas of performance assessment. In: Harrison, c. &
Salinger, T. (Eds) Assessing reading: Theory and practice (pp. 21-49). London: Routledge.
Renkl, A., Mandl, H., & Gruber, H. (1996). Inert knowledge: Analyses and remedies: Educational Psychologist. Educational Psychologist, 31(2), 115-121.
Schoen, L. (2005). Learning to make sense of the dilemmas of teaching practice: An exploration of pre-service teachers. Online Submission Journal Citation: Ph.D. Dissertation. Boston: Boston College.
Schommer, M. (1994). Synthesizing epistemological belief research: Tentative understandings and provocative confusions. Educational Psychology Review, 6(4), 293–319.
Schön, D. (1983). The reflective practitioner: How professionals think in action: Basic books.
Schwab, J.J. (1964). The structure of disciplines: Meanings and significance. In: Ford, G.W. & Pugno, L. (Eds.). The structure of knowledge and the curriculum. Chicago: Rand McNally.
Schwab, R. L., & Iwanicki, E. F. (1982). Perceived role conflict, role ambiguity, and teacher burnout. Educational Administration Quarterly, 18(1), 60-74.
Stahl, E., & Bromme, R. (2007). The CAEB: An instrument for measuring connotative aspects of epistemological beliefs. Learning and Instruction, 17(6), 773–785.
Trautwein, U., & Lüdtke, O. (2007). Epistemological beliefs, school achievement, and college major: A large-scale longitudinal study on the impact of certainty beliefs. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 32(3), 348-366.
Wegner, E. & Nückles, M. (2011). Die Wirkung hochschuldidaktischer Weiterbildung auf den Umgang mit widersprüchlichen Handlungsanforderungen. [Impact of professional development on dealing with contradictory demands in teaching]. Zeitschrift für Hochschulentwicklung, 6 (3), 172-188.
Windschitl, M. (2002). Framing constructivism in practice as the negotiation of dilemmas: An analysis of the conceptual, pedagogical, cultural, and political challenges facing teachers. Review of Educational Research, 72(2), 131-175.