Examining the Relationship between a Sophisticated Personal Epistemology and Desired Pedagogical Practices in Trainee Teachers
Matt Smith, SFHEA
Abstract
This paper demonstrates the key link between the development of a sophisticated personal epistemology and the
concomitant emergent pedagogies of trainee teachers, as identified through research in this area, including
empirical engagement with trainees on a PGCE primary teacher training course in the UK. The ensuing review
of literature investigates the theoretical and paradigmatic perspectives and aims to theoretically underpin the
methods used within the empirical research described. The conclusion is that it is of paramount importance that
teacher training institutions allow for the development of exactly these sophisticated personal epistemologies
through explicit teaching and exposure to the specific reflective practices discussed in order to promote the best
possible outcomes in terms of trainees’ pedagogical understanding and practices when immersed in authentic
experiences in situated learning environments on school-based attachments, and retain appropriate levels of
control over the contextual, environmental and experiential circumstances that their trainees encounter.
Full Text: PDF