Impact of institute and person variables on teachers’ conceptions of learning and teaching

AbstractBackground: Teachers’ conceptions of learning and teaching are important for faculty development to result in enduring changes in teaching practices. Until now, studies on these conceptions have mostly focused on traditional, lecture-based curricula rather than on small-group student-centred educational formats, which are gaining ground worldwide.Aim: To explore which factors predict teachers’ conceptions in student-centred curricula.Methods: In two Dutch medical schools with 10 and 40 years of student-centred education, teachers were asked to fill out the Conceptions of Learning and Teaching (COLT) Questionnaire to assess their ‘teacher-centredness’, ‘appreciation of active learning’ and ‘orientation to professional practice’. Next, we quantitatively assessed the relations of teachers’ conceptions with their personal and occupational characteristics and institute.Results: Overall response was 49.4% (N = 319/646). Institute was the main predictor for variance in all three scales, and discipline, g...