An Investigation of Teachers' Beliefs about Learning

The aim of this study was to investigate teachers' beliefs about learning. So, we investigated the level of teachers' beliefs about the traditional and constructivist approach (cognitive, social and radical). Further, it was questioned how teachers developed qualifications needed for the constructivist approach. The study was conducted on 233 teachers working in the city centre of Gaziantep in Turkey during 2011-2012 school year. "Beliefs about Learning Scale", developed by the researchers, was used for data collection. The results revealed that the teachers adopted the constructivist approach at a higher level than the traditional approach. Speaking about the constructivist approach dimensions, the teachers adopted the social constructivist approach at a higher level than cognitive and radical constructivist approaches. According to the gender variable, the extent to which the female teachers adopted the constructivist approach was higher in comparison with the male teachers. Moreover, it was found that the level of classroom teachers' beliefs about the traditional approach was higher than that of subject teachers' beliefs according to seniority. Another finding was that the increase in seniority increased the teachers' beliefs about the traditional approach. The findings indicated that the teachers adopted qualifications for the constructivist approach mostly during their undergraduate and post-graduate education.