Personal Epistemologies and Teaching Styles of Filipino Preservice Elementary Teachers: Implications to Teacher Education Preparation Program

Pre-service teachers are guided by their personal beliefs on how knowledge is acquired which affect their teaching style preferences. To understand more closely how future teachers can be developed and better prepared, it is important to understand their knowledge belief structures and teaching style orientations. This study explored the relationship between the personal epistemologies and teaching styles of pre-service elementary teachers of Cagayan State University-Lasam. It employed descriptive correlational method of research. Data were gathered from the 78 fourth year BEED-Generalist students. The findings of the study revealed that the pre-service elementary teachers exhibit positive high personal epistemologies on the five dimensions while they perceived themselves high in all the five teaching styles. Significantly, mothers’ education and family income define differences in the personal epistemologies of the respondents on the sources of knowledge. With respect to teaching style, sex and family income explain differences in personal model, facilitator and delegator teaching styles of the preservice elementary teachers. Female preservice teachers show more flexibility and dynamism in their teaching styles. Significantly, the personal epistemologies along stability of knowledge is an important factor that influence the preservice elementary teachers to have better display of formal authority teaching style. Finally, the preservice elementary teachers established themselves as constructivists they hold high belief on the pedagogical and methodical approach which is learner-centered.

Keywords—personal epistemologies, teaching styles, pre-service elementary teachers, teacher education