Beliefs Definition Essay

The concept of beliefs has been a common feature of research papers in education for the past decade. However, what are beliefs? Dewey (1933) described belief as the third meaning of thought, “something beyond itself by which its value is tested; it makes an assertion about some matter of fact or some principle or law”. Abelson (1979) defined beliefs in term of people manipulating knowledge for a particular purpose or under a necessary circumstance. Additionally, the concept of beliefs was introduced by Rokeach (1968) who provided a comprehensive model of individual beliefs or attitudes. His model consists of four elements including existential vs. non-existential beliefs, shared vs. unshared beliefs, derived vs. un-derived beliefs, and beliefs concerning matter of taste. Specifically, existential vs. non-existential beliefs are related to existence in the physical and social world. Next, shared vs. unshared beliefs relate to those shared with others; in addition, derived vs. un-derived beliefs refer to those beliefs internalized and

According to Michael Morg (2001), he argued that ‘ a belief is a proposition which may be consciously or unconsciously held, is evaluative in that it is accepted as true by the individual, and is therefore imbued with emotive commitment: further, it serves as a guide to thought and behavior”. In this sense, beliefs may have two main characteristics: they can be conscious or unconscious, and they have an important impact on the way a person behaves.

It is clear that most definitions of beliefs propose that beliefs dispose or guide people’s thinking and action. Beliefs play a significant role in many aspects of teaching as well as in life. The investigation of teachers’ beliefs is a necessary and valuable avenue of education inquiry.

2.1.2. Definition of “teachers’ beliefs”:

From beliefs in general we now turn to consider teachers’ beliefs- a term usually used to refer to teachers’ pedagogic beliefs or those