Description:
There is empirically evidence that attitudes and beliefs take a moderating role as attributes of different professionals for the conceptualization of instructions in school classes as well as the use of specific didactical concepts. But it remains to be investigated whether beliefs are also constitutive for the profession of special education teachers, especially regarding forthcoming changes in schools as a result of the implementation of the idea of inclusion. The question also arises whether primary school teachers show different beliefs compared to teachers in special schools. In the present study a heuristic model of teacher beliefs was developed and on this basis a quantitative questionnaire was designed. The sample (elementary and special education teachers and student-teachers, N=330) was used to evaluate the heuristic model as well as the questionnaire. Through exploratory factor analysis a three factor model could be obtained. On the basis of those factors scales could show differences among the different types of teachers by using t-tests. Here evidence is provided that beliefs differ among elementary and special education teachers and student-teachers. Also, the results show that the questionnaire – despite some constraints and further research demands – presents a promising basic approach for the empirical acquisition of beliefs.