Abstract
M.Ed. (Educational Psychology)
The purpose of this study is to determine what teachers' beliefs are
concerning their profession: their tasks and behavior: their beliefs
about themselves as educators: whether these beliefs enhance
effective teaching: and how to ensure that teachers' beliefs about
themselves are positive. If teachers make a difference in the
classroom, it is essential to explore the perceptions teachers believe
to be true about themselves.
Although very little research has been done to determine what teachers
believe about themselves, current research has indicated beyond doubt
that teachers' beliefs and perceptions can no longer be regarded as of
minor importance and has found that the teacher's beliefs about
himself and his students, are the most important factors which
determine the success of a teaching program.
The point of departure is the Perceptual tradition and Self-concept
theory. This tradition operates on the premise that all behavior is a
function of the individual's perceived world. Each person has a
unique system of perceptions about self and this self-concept: causes
behavior and is selective as far as the assimilation of other
perceptions is concerned. This tradition maintains that each person
is a conscious agent who considers, constructs, interprets and then
acts.
Research was undertaken to investigate the beliefs that teachers hold
true about themselves in respect of certain characteristics of the
effective teacher as described in earlier research. The database is a
conversion of the Invitational Teaching Survey (ITS) and was used to
study aspects of this phenomenon. The data involved was analyzed by means of Chi-square, a cluster analysis and a factor analysis.