The compatibility of student teacher beliefs with research on supportive classroom climates

Abstract

The attitudes, values and dispositions that students hold when they enter teacher education programmes act like powerful filters between them and the new ideas to which they are exposed. Sometimes, these beliefs do not support currently accepted good practice in teaching and there is a danger that teacher education will do little to change students' inappropriate views. The research reported in this article investigated one aspect of this problem. It sought to expose students' beliefs about classroom management and discipline. The findings suggest that the student teachers in this study held strong beliefs on a number of issues, especially on discipline and control, which are not compatible with research-based findings on supportive classroom climates. The article highlights the implications for teacher educators and suggests one approach to addressing the problem.


South African Journal of Higher Education Vol.15(3) 2001: 178-184