Beliefs regarding teaching and learning: A case of primary science teachers of Bangladesh

The present study aims to explore the primary science teachers’ beliefs regarding teaching and learning in Bangladesh. Common aspects of teaching and learning- curriculum, teacher and student roles, teaching strategies/pedagogy, and classroom organization- were taken into account to reveal teachers belief on teaching and learning process. The respondents were purposively selected five science teachers. Data was gathered through interview by using a semi-structured interview protocol. An interpretive research methodology was adopted to extract meaning from the data. Responses regarding teachers beliefs about teaching and learning were analyzed into coded categories as either ‘traditional/direct’ or ‘modern/contemporary’ belief dimensions. Based on the responses of the teachers, it was found that teachers of the study hold traditional and inconsistent pattern of belief in various teaching and learning aspects. Teachers possessed direct (traditional) transmission belief regarding student role, classroom organization, and curriculum aspects of teaching and learning. On the other hand, the respondents had modern beliefs on teacher role and teaching style aspects. The study also revealed that teachers’ belief did not vary in case of gender but divergence was found in teachers of greater job experiences and having much in-service trainings. As teachers’ beliefs have strong influence on actual practice therefore, this study suggests that a further study is needed to explore the links between teachers’ beliefs and practices in an ideal classroom setting to understand whether their beliefs are really reflected in actual practices or not.