SEBAN, Demet Akdeniz Üniversitesi - Eğitim Fakültesi, Turkey , ÇAKIR, Hasan Gazi Üniversitesi - Eğitim Fakültesi, Turkey

THE EFFECT OF BELIEFS AND DEMOGRAPHIC VARIABLES ON PRIMARY GRADE TEACHERS’ TEACHING OF WRITING PRACTICES

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The purpose of this study is to examine the effect of teachers’ beliefs about teaching writing, professional experiences, educational background, the number of students in their classrooms, and teacher gender on their self-reported constructivist writing practices. The data were collected using a Teacher Beliefs and Practices of Writing Instruction Scale developed by the researcher from a sample of 159 elementary school teachers. The resulting demographic variables and beliefs and practices data analyzed using statistical analysis. According to the results of this study, teachers who hold beliefs congruent with the principles of constructivist epistemology and the principles of a balanced approach that adopt both constructivist and traditional orientation engage in constructivist-compatible writing practices. However, teachers who demonstrate a traditional teaching orientation do not employ constructivist-compatible writing practices. Professional experiences, educational background, the number of students in their classrooms, and the gender of teachers were found to have no significant effect on teachers’ teaching writing practices.

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Teacher Beliefs , Writing Instruction , Elementary Teachers.

Mustafa Kemal University Journal Of Graduate School Of Social Sciences

230