Narrative Semiotics and Teachers’ Beliefs Regarding the Relevance of Formal Learning Theory to Classroom Practice: a US study

Abstract

The primary objective of this study was to examine teachers’ assumptions about the relevance to classroom practice of the kind of formal learning theory one encounters in educational psychology courses in the USA. Sixty‐six pre‐ and inservice teachers wrote a total of 132 narratives explaining how knowledge of certain aspects of behavioral learning theory could help teachers resolve the problems described in open‐ended case studies. The narratives were evaluated in terms of five parameters which were inferred from theory about narrative discourse. Together the parameters described how an author defined, ordered, and connected the standard components of narrative discourse (setting, problem, resolution, etc.). The analysis indicated that both pre‐ and inservice teachers tended to regard behavioral learning theories as prescriptive solutions that could be applied to any classroom context to yield predictable results. Preservice teachers tended to generalize beyond the boundaries of a case, inferring broad maxims and principles of practice. In contrast, inservice teachers appeared to be sensitive to the background variables and ethical dimensions inherent in cases.