Research on Teacher Thinking, Beliefs, and Knowledge in Higher Education: Foundations, Status and Prospects

Since the mid 1970’s there has been a growing tendency for research on teaching to distance itself from the narrow examination of teachers’ observable classroom behaviours and shift towards the more subtle and implicit aspects of teaching that accompany those classroom behaviours. This tendency is based on a strengthening perception of teaching as a professional activity entailing complex and demanding cognitive processes such as creativity and originality in thinking, problem-solving, and reflection (see e.g. Schoenfeld, 1998). On this view, teaching should be likened to the professional work of medical doctors, lawyers and architects, rather than to technicians who use their skills to perform tasks using prescriptions or algorithms designed and defined by other professionals (Shulman & Hutchings, 1997). Therefore, understanding teaching necessitates understanding teachers’ thinking, beliefs and knowledge regarding teaching, learning and students.