Abstract
Research has consistently shown that teachers’ epistemological beliefs have
a significant impact on their teaching and teacher effectiveness in the
teaching- learning process. This study investigated epistemological beliefs
(EBs) of teacher educators in higher education institutions and teacher
education institutes in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP). The study aimed at
identifying teacher-centered and learners’ centered EBs, examine the
relationship of EBs and gender, find out the relationship of teachers’
qualification with the EBs of teacher education, and explore differences
between the EBs of teacher educators of public universities and RITEs. Of the
212 teacher educators of the study population, the data were collected
through stratified random sampling from 145 respondents. Epistemological
beliefs questionnaire (EBQ) and a scale for demographics were used for
gathering data from the research participants. Percentages, Mean, One way
ANOVA and Pearson r was used for data analysis. Findings of the study show
that a majority of the teacher educators believed that the structure of
knowledge is simple, half of the teacher educators believed that knowledge
is certain. Similarly, a majority of the teachers did not believe in authority as
a source of knowledge and considered that the ability to learn is not innate.
A majority of the respondents did not agree that learning is a quick process.
There was no significant difference in the EBs of male and female teacher
educators; there was no significant difference in the EBs of teachers from
universities and RITES, except in the dimension of the stability of knowledge,
wherein educators from RITEs have unsophisticated beliefs and there is no
significant effect of experience on the epistemological beliefs of teacher
educators.
