The Role of Personal Beliefs in the Evaluation of Pre-service Teachers’ Lesson Plans – A Single Case Study

Abstract

Aims: This study examined the relationship between personal beliefs and views of instructional practice. Study Design: Anon-experimental quantitative mixed methods research design was used. Place and Duration of Study: Research setting at Gustavus Adolphus College (St. Peter, MN, USA). Participants individually completed the study during the spring of 2012. Methodology: Thirty-three pre-service teachers completed a self-report questionnaire and thought aloud as they evaluated two lesson plans. Results: Two dimensions of epistemological beliefs significantly predicted participants’ views of constructivist teaching, R2=.25, F(1,32)=4.927, p=.014. Additionally, participants’ evaluation of how a lesson plan supports self-regulated learning was significantly predicted by constructivist views, R2=.14, F(1,29)=4.575, p=.04.Lastly, the evaluation of the student-centered nature of a lesson plan was significantly predicted by more traditional views, R2=.14, F(1, 29)=4.575, p=.04. Conclusion: Participants with stronger constructivist views of teaching made significantly more evaluations based on the lesson plan’s support of self-regulated learning. Additionally, stronger traditional views were related to fewer evaluations on the student-centered nature of the lesson plan. Thus, differences in lesson plan evaluations can be explained by pre-service teachers’ personal beliefs.