title: Investigating teacher epistemic orientation and its relationship with generative or replicative classroom learning environments for knowledge development
title: a qualitative study
titleType: Subtitle
Creators: name: Akuoko, Eric Antwi
Publisher: name: University of Iowa
Year: 2024
Subjects: Classroom Learning Environment
Epistemological Development
Generative Learning
Replicative Learning
Teacher Beliefs
Teacher Epistemic Orientation

description: This dissertation examined the relationship between elementary school science teachers’ epistemic orientation and classroom learning environment type—generative or replicative—they established for science knowledge development. Drawing on the theory of epistemological development and understanding, the influence of teacher epistemic beliefs on learning environment type, operationalized by teacher classroom implementations, for knowledge development was holistically explored.
description: The study comprised two stages. Stage 1 identified and characterized the epistemic orientations held by elementary school science teachers and explored its relationships with classroom learning environment type (operationalized through teacher implementations), using partial correlations. One hundred and twenty-three elementary school science teachers, who had been implementing Science Writing Heuristic (SWH) approach that emphasized the use of epistemic tools—language, dialogue, argument, etc.—for science inquiry, participated in stage one of the study. Teacher epistemic orientation score surveys (EOS) and teacher implementation score (TIS) were the main data sources that were utilized in stage 1 of the study. The primary goal of this stage 1 was to allow the researcher to identify and characterize specific cases for selection to stage 2 for deepened study.
description: Employing a multi-case study design, stage 2 purposefully sampled six cases for deepened understanding. Participant observation, semi-structured interviews, and PD vignettes/reflections were the data sources for this stage. The goal of stage two was to exhaustively refine our understanding of the selected cases in their unitary and cross-case forms.
description: Results from stage one show that there was a (positive) linear relationship between teacher beliefs in written prompts on the adapted epistemic survey data (A-EOS) and actual classroom environment—generative or replicative--created for knowledge development. Additionally, results from cross-case analysis of stage 2 also demonstrate that teacher beliefs/orientation type show classroom environment type association. Further, results show that struggles of teachers mirrored elementary school teachers’ sense of control, persistence, and adaptive expertise.
description: Major findings from the study results show that participants who exhibited rigid epistemic beliefs and fluid epistemic beliefs tended to establish replicative and generative learning environments respectively, albeit on a continuum. And that, while fluid epistemic belief teachers showed increased teacher adaptive expertise and co-shared classroom authority/control, rigid epistemic belief teachers struggled to release control and were generally less adaptive/persistent.
description: Finally, the study discusses pertinent implications for policy, practice, and research. For policy, framers of standards documents, policy makers of teacher preparation, and curriculum developers should consider teacher beliefs and attitudes as foundational to framing future science standards. Regarding practice, the study suggests a reconstruction of belief systems about knowledge and knowing or shift epistemic beliefs entirely for practice. Future research could explore the synergy of all the data sets by adopting a multi-perspective approach for their study.