Personal Epistemology of Urban Elementary School Teachers

Datos Bibliográficos

ID9729925
AutoresMelissa Pearrow (0000-0003-2518-0813, University of Massachusetts, Boston, melissa.pearrow @umb.edu, autor de correspondencia), William Sanchez (0000-0002-0410-3934, Northeastern University, Boston, Massachusetts)
Año2008
Volumen40
Número2
Páginas226-242
Fecha de publicación2008-01-01
Peer ReviewedSí
Open AccessSí
TipoARTICLE
RevistaEducation and Urban Society (JOURNAL)
Identificadores de la revistaISSN: 0013-1245 • E-ISSN: 1552-3535
EditorialSAGE Publications (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.1177/0013124507304169
OpenAlexW2025823147
IdiomaEN
Citas recibidas4
Referencias citadas16

Personal epistemology, originating from social construction theory, provides a framework for researchers to understand how individuals view their world. The Attitudes About Reality (AAR) scale is one survey method that qualitatively assesses personal epistemology along the logical positivist and social constructionist continuum; however, the literature primarily reflects women working in a mental health facility and undergraduate students. This study uses the AAR to examine the personal epistemology of 73 elementary school teachers, the large majority of whom were female, working in an urban and highly diverse public school system in the Northeast, and compares the AAR score to demographic data. The results suggest a more logical positivist orientation than has been observed with other populations although demographic information did not assist in understanding the findings. Implications for the urban elementary school environment, classroom interventions, and collaboration with other support professionals are offered

Epistemology · Mathematics education · Pedagogy · Positivism · Psychological intervention · Social constructionism · Social science · Sociology · Strict constructionism · Education and Critical Thinking Development · Educational Strategies and Epistemologies · Psychology · Science Education and Pedagogy