The Pedagogical Beliefs and Instructional Design Practices: Pre-Service IT Teachers' Case

Abstract

Purpose: Although studies have separately examined the instructional design processes of novice designers and the pedagogical beliefs of novice teachers, the manner through which they are linked is still unclear. In this study, the aim was to describe how pre-service teachers' pedagogical beliefs were embodied through instructional design practices within a real context. Therefore, having a closer look at the espoused and enacted beliefs in comparison to teaching performance from the instructional design perspective may contribute to facilitating and understanding novice teachers' transfer of knowledge to practice. Research Methods: This was an instrumental case study with 20 pre-service teachers. The data were collected through observation, portfolios, and interviews. Findings: The results indicated that the participants tended towards blended beliefs, but they failed to transfer them into practice. Their teaching practices mostly included patterns of teacher-centered approach. Finally, the match between espoused and enacted beliefs was not very common among the observed participants. Implications for Research and Practice: Since pre-service teachers attend school practice during the last year of university, they may feel isolated and unprepared for the application of student-centered approaches. That may be the reason why they put too much emphasis on control of the classroom. If they had been practicing these approaches from the beginning of their university studies, they would have left such anxieties behind and be more capable of transferring their espoused beliefs into enacted ones. (C) 2018 Ani Publishing Ltd. All rights reserved