This paper reports a sub-set of findings from a phenomenographic investigation into Greek university teachers’ conceptions of, and approaches to, teaching and learning using virtual learning environments (VLEs). Analysis of open-ended interviews with a small group of computer science teachers revealed three qualitatively different conceptions of teaching using VLEs, and different pedagogical ap...

This paper examines the responses of two sample of prospective teachers (New Zealand, n = 324; and Spain, n = 672) to the Teachers' Conceptions of Assessment inventory (English and Spanish respectively). The inventory captures four major intentions for assessment (i.e., improvement, irrelevance, school and student accountability). The conceptions of prospective teachers about the nature and pur...

Using a questionnaire validated by the project Biohead-Citizen, where 15 questions are dedicated to evolution, we analyse Muslim teachers' conceptions of evolution in several countries. The first part compares nine francophone countries, with varying degrees of Muslim or Christian culture: France, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Lebanon, Senegal, Burkina Faso, Cameroon and Gabon, and shows a strong ...

This study stemmed from concerns among researchers that reform efforts grounded in promoting inquiry as the basis for teaching science have not achieved the desired changes in American science classrooms. Many science teachers assume that they are employing inquirybased strategies when they use cookbook investigations with highly structured step-by-step instructions. Additionally, most science ...

This work analyses the answers to a questionnaire from 8,285 in-service and pre-service teachers from 23 countries, elaborated by the Biohead-Citizen research project, to investigate teachers’ conceptions related to the genetic determinism of human behaviour. A principal components analysis is used to assess the main trends in all the interviewed teachers’ conceptions. This illustrates that inn...

BACKGROUND Conceptions of medical teachers regarding learning and teaching affect their teaching practice. Therefore conceptions should be addressed in faculty development. AIM To facilitate this, we constructed the Conceptions Of Learning and Teaching (COLT) instrument. METHOD The COLT was adapted based on experts' comments during a meeting and interviews, followed by a Delphi procedure (P...

Learner autonomy (henceforth LA) has become a buzz word in education in general and language education, in particular, for more than a decade now. Focusing on investigating Iranian EFL teachers’ conceptions of LA, the current study, taking a mixed method approach, attempted to illustrate how Iranian EFL teachers’ conceptions of leaner autonomy mapped out. To that end, 7 teachers, purposefully c...

In this paper, we explore prospective teachers and teachers’ conceptions about averages. The results show that when talking which of the averages is easiest hardest to explain, respectively, two groups differ in their responses. When motivations most often are based on pedagogical explanations, indicate personal experiences, linked procedures. studying least useful, there no difference between ...

In order to reach the main aims of modern education, powerful learning environments are designed. The characteristics of the design of PLEs are expected to have positive effects on student learning. Additionally, teachers' conceptions of learning and teaching do influence the implementation of a PLE. Moreover, students' perceptions of a learning environment affect their subsequent learning beha...