A review of research on teacher beliefs and practices

Abstract

During the past 15 years or so, teacher education research has made significant strides in studying the complex relationships between teacher beliefs and practices. This new line of research has generated important findings that are of practical implications for teacher education. This article reviews this small body of research and, in so doing, elucidates the two competing theses (i.e. 'consistency' vs 'inconsistency') that are recurring in the literature on the relationships between teacher beliefs and practices. It begins with an overview of traditional research on teaching in general, followed by a discussion of teacher cognition under which teacher beliefs/theories are subsumed. After introducing the notion of 'the Missing Paradigm' in the mainstream teacher education research, the article examines the theoretical frameworks underlying teacher beliefs and practices research. Next it provides a synthesis of recent research on teacher beliefs and practices, addressing critical issues germane to the research findings. After a brief discussion of several critical methodological issues, the article outlines six possible directions for future research.