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Turkish and Singaporean pre-service physics teachers’ beliefs about
teaching and use of technology
Deniz Gurcay, Benjamin Wong and Ching Sing Chai
The Asia-Pacific Education Researcher, 22(2), 155-162.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s40299-012-0008-2
Springer (Singapore)
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The final publication is also available at Springer via http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s40299-0120008-2
Asia-Pacific Edu Res (2013) 22(2):155–162
DOI 10.1007/s40299-012-0008-2
Turkish and Singaporean Pre-service Physics Teachers’ Beliefs
about Teaching and Use of Technology
Deniz Gurcay • Benjamin Wong • Ching Sing Chai
Published online: 6 September 2012
Ó De La Salle University 2012
Abstract Beliefs about pedagogy and the use of technology affect the integration ICT in classrooms. This comparative study explores the pedagogical beliefs of pre-service
physics teachers from two different cultures and examines
the relationship between teachers’ beliefs about constructivist and traditional teaching and their related beliefs about
the use of technology. This study was conducted with 115
Turkish and 90 Singaporean pre-service physics teachers.
The results indicate that both Turkish and Singaporean preservice physics teachers tend to believe in constructivist
teaching which are aligned with their respective countries
reform efforts. However, there is a significant difference
between Turkish and Singaporean pre-service physics
teachers in terms of constructivist use of technology beliefs.
According to the results of this study more efforts are needed
to insure that ICT is used more productively to support the
teaching of physics in a constructivist manner and to create
more effective physics classes.
Keywords Teachers’ beliefs Constructivism ICT Physics education
In keeping with the growing use of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) in daily life, education
systems around the world are increasingly focusing on the
integration of ICT in teaching and learning. Research has
shown that ICT can facilitate higher order thinking skills in
D. Gurcay (&)
Hacettepe University, Ankara, Turkey
e-mail: denizg@hacettepe.edu.tr
B. Wong C. S. Chai
Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Singapore
students and enhance interaction between teachers and
students as well as among students themselves (Lim and
Hang 2003). However, these positive outcomes in ICT
integration depends largely on teachers’ appropriate use of
ICT. For this reason, efforts to promote ICT use in education must address factors related to teacher’s adoption of the
technology (Becker 2001). These factors includes teachers’
attitudes and judgments toward ICT (Galanouli et al. 2004;
Jedeskog and Nissen 2004; Mumtaz 2000); teachers’
knowledge, skills, and training (Pelgrum 2001); and
teachers’ beliefs about teaching and learning (Ertmer 2005).
Among the teacher’s related factors, teacher’s pedagogical beliefs play a key role in teacher’s decision on how
ICT are use in classrooms (Chai 2010). Jimoyiannis and
Komis (2007) have shown that ICT could transform of
teaching and learning from being teacher-centered to one
that is student-centered. On the other hand, some studies
show that teachers are more inclined to use technology to
support their existing practices in teacher-centered learning
environments. These teachers do not adequately exploit the
opportunity to use ICT to develop their students’ higher
order thinking skills or to create student-centered learning
environments (Fox and Henri 2005). Currently there are
many researchers in Asia investigating how teachers’
epistemological and pedagogical beliefs affect educational
reforms that are based on the use of ICT and the application
of constructivist modes of teaching (Leung 2008; Lim and
Chai 2008). These studies reflect the importance that
teachers beliefs have on the effectiveness of education
innovation and reform.
The importance of teachers’ beliefs naturally leads to
issues about measuring the beliefs. Beliefs about knowledge, teaching and learning are social culturally shaped
(Hofer 2010). For this reason, survey instruments developed in one context usually do not yield equally valid
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156
responses when they are applied in another context and
repeated tests are required to validate survey instruments
when cross culture study is involved. For example, Chan
and Elliott’s (2004) survey on teachers’ pedagogical beliefs
based on Hong Kong pre-service teachers was re-analyzed
with Singaporean pre-service teachers (Teo and Chai 2008)
and the latter study yielded a different factor structure. This
constitutes a main problem in cross culture study and it
explains the scarcity of cross culture study to a certain
extent. In this study, we attempt to use the same survey
instrument to survey pre-service teachers from two different social cultural contexts (Turkey and Singapore). Such
attempt may help to surface instrument that could be valid
in cross cultural context, thereby enabling more equal
comparison of teachers’ perception across social cultural
context and provides valid data for study international
trend study.
In the case of the physics education, studies have shown
that pupils in school often find the subject difficult, abstract,
work-intensive, and formalistic in nature (Angell et al.
2004; Ornek et al. 2008). Moreover, pupils would prefer a
stronger emphasis on student-centered approaches in the
teaching of physics (Angell et al. 2004). In this regard, the
use of ICT in physics education could well satisfy the need
of pupils for a more student-centered teaching and learning
environment. However, the use of ICT in the class will be
affected both by the teaching and learning conceptions of
the teacher and by his/her ICT knowledge and skills. Our
search in June 2012 on multiple electronic databases
(Academic Search Premier, Education Research Complete,
ERIC) using the key words ‘‘Physics and ICT and teacher’s
beliefs’’ did not identify any journal paper. This indicates
that research on ICT integration and teachers’ beliefs has
adopted a domain general approach rather than a domainspecific approach. Teacher’s beliefs could be domain-specific rather than domain general and domain-specific
investigations are important (Wong and Chai 2010).
Researchers in ICT integration have criticized the lack of
focus toward content knowledge, especially those who
advocate the recently emerged theoretical framework of
technological pedagogical content knowledge (Mishra and
Koehler 2006). Similar criticism could be applied for study
about teacher’s beliefs and ICT integration. In any case,
effort to study teacher’s beliefs and ICT integration could
benefit from a domain-specific perspective because the
results could be more directly applicable to the specific
group of teachers. It is therefore important to establish the
beliefs of pre-service physics teachers toward ICT use, as
this would provide some indications of how well and
extensively ICT may be implemented in physics education.
Both Singapore and Turkey are strategically located at
the crossroads between the East and the West. As major
trading and commercial centers both countries are similarly
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D. Gurcay et al.
concerned to insure that their economies will continue to
thrive in a competitive global environment and ICT has
been identified as a key area for education reform. While
education is key to sustained economic and social development, historical and cultural factors inform and shape
their respective approaches to education reform. Both
countries, however, have been greatly influenced by their
interaction with the West. Turkish culture has been greatly
influenced by centuries of interaction with Europeans and
European culture. Singapore was a former British colony,
and many of its existing institutions, including education,
have been shaped by this colonial legacy. Both countries
are modern, secular, democratic republics. Turkey has a
rich and ancient cultural heritage, while Singapore is young
country with a multicultural society. The working language
in Turkey is Turkish, whereas the working language in
Singapore is English. These similarities and differences
should be adequate to warrant a comparative study to be
conducted.
Literature Review
Teachers’ Use of ICT
While the provisions of hardware and software to schools
in developed countries have increase in the past decade, the
use of ICT for classroom teaching has barely catch up
(Bain and Weston 2012). As such, research focusing on the
efficient use of ICT by pre-service teachers continues to be
an area of concern (Chai et al. 2009).
Teachers play a crucial role in educational change (Van
Driel et al. 1997). However, research shows that they tend
to use technology as a word processor or to search the
internet rather than using it for developing students’
problem-solving and critical thinking skills (Ertmer 2005;
Gao et al. 2009; Sang et al. 2010). In other words, the
general vision of education reform that advocates constructivist-oriented student-centered learning supported by
ICT is yet to be actualized.
Teachers’ use of technology is influenced by many
factors (Pelgrum 2001). Fullan (1991) has argued that an
important factor in the adoption and implementation of ICT
in education depends on how ICT is integrated into staff
development programs. Francis (1994) believes that
teachers’ attitude is the most influential factor determining
the effectiveness of the use of ICT in teaching and learning.
However, there are many studies emphasizing factors like
teachers’ perceptions, personal and psychological factors,
as well as time management problems that inhibit the use
ICT in teaching (Mumtaz 2000; Chai et al. 2009).
The integration of ICT into the curriculum and use of
ICT in the class necessitates some fundamental changes in
Preservice Physics Teachers’ Beliefs
the profession of teaching. That is, teachers should not only
have the requisite qualifications in using technology, but
they should also be able to use technology in a constructivist way. But as studies have shown one of the most
significant barriers to effective ICT use is based on
teachers’ epistemological beliefs about the subject matter
and their related educational and pedagogical beliefs
(Ertmer 2005; Lim and Chai 2008; Veen 1993).
Teachers’ Pedagogical Beliefs and Use of Technology
Teachers’ conceptions about teaching and learning can be
defined as ‘‘beliefs held by teachers about their preferred
ways of teaching and learning’’ (Chan and Elliott 2004,
p. 819). The literature on the teachers’ teaching and
learning conceptions has revealed two major categories: (1)
teaching as a process of knowledge transmission, and (2)
teaching as facilitating students’ knowledge construction
(Chan and Elliott 2004; Teo et al. 2008). Teachers holding
on to the first category tend to be more traditional in their
approach to teaching and learning; that is, they believe that
teaching should be teacher-centered and content oriented
and they tend to regard learning as passive reception of
knowledge transmitted through the teacher (Chai 2010;
Dwyer et al. 1991). Traditional use of ICT includes using
ICT to aide content delivery such as using Powerpoint
slides to support lectures and the use of drill-and-practice
software to enhance students’ retention of knowledge. On
the other hand, teachers belonging to the second category
tend to be more constructivists in their pedagogical
approach; that is, they believe in cultivating a studentcentered teaching and learning environment where students
are actively involved, with the help of teachers as guide or
facilitators, in knowledge construction. Teachers in this
category become learning environment designers (Chai
2010). The use of ICT for constructivist teaching (CT)
involves engaging students in active and iterative construction of digital artifacts to represent their understanding. Teachers with traditional teaching (TT) beliefs tend to
use didactic teaching methods, whereas teachers with CT
beliefs tend to use student-centered methods (Dwyer et al.
1991). Research also suggests that most of the teachers
possess both traditional and constructivist belief (Minor
et al. 2002; Van Driel et al. 2005). Ertmer et al. (2001)
have observed that teachers’ beliefs about the use of
technology did not always accord with their classroom
practices. For example, teachers with constructivist views
sometimes adopted a mixed pedagogical approach in their
use of ICT. These teachers rationalized the discrepancy
between their beliefs and their practice in terms of contextual limitations. In keeping with this observation, recent
research shows that pre-service teachers’ beliefs are context sensitive and that teaching approaches vary according
157
to teachers’ perceptions of constraints imposed by the
teaching environment (Lim and Chai 2008).
In the case of ICT, research has shown that it can be
adopted for use in a traditional educational setting (Teo
et al. 2008). This, however, under-utilized its education
impact. When teachers want to use ICT effectively in
teaching and learning they should change their teaching
styles. Teachers who believe that knowing is a process of
meaning construction and knowledge as an evolving concept tend to prepare meaningful activities to facilitate
students learning. In this connection, research has shown
that teachers with constructivist beliefs tend to use ICT as a
tool for CT (Ravitz and Becker 2000).
Teachers’ beliefs have been a major source of concern
in teacher education for the teaching and learning of science (Duit and Treagust 2003). Physics, by its very nature,
generates more abstract concepts than the other sciences.
Moreover, students and teachers of physics believe that the
subject cannot be taught by rote-learning. Understanding of
concepts is more fundamental in the teaching and learning
of physics (Angell et al. 2004). As learning in physics
appear to be more than a simple process of knowledge
transfer, the constructivist approach appears to be more
suited to the complex process underlying the learning of
concepts in physics (Osborne and Wittrock 1985). Appropriate and skillful use of ICT in a constructivist learning
environment would enable students to enjoy student-centered physics courses and should pave the way for
restructuring their knowledge.
Moreover, appropriate use of ICT in physics courses
could well have a positive effect on students’ achievement.
On the basis of their investigation of the relation between
students’ achievement and use of ICT in courses such as
science, math, and English, Harrison et al. (2004) reported
that higher levels of ICT experience are strongly associated
with higher levels of school achievement. In an experimental study, Chandra and Watters (2012) designed a
website to investigate if the use of ICT would enhance
students’ knowledge of concepts in physics. The study
revealed that ICT has a positive effect on students’ learning.
Students’ feedback also indicates the use of ICT also has a
positive impact on their attitudes toward studying physics.
There is significant evidence showing that teachers’
beliefs about teaching and learning shapes their approach
toward the use of ICT in education (Teo et al. 2008; Sang
et al. 2010). This study aims to explore the pedagogical
beliefs of pre-service physics teachers from two cultures
and seeks to examine the relationship between teachers’
beliefs about constructivist and TT as well as the relationship between their beliefs about teaching and their
beliefs about the use of technology. This present study
seeks to provide insights into the following research
questions:
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158
1.
2.
3.
D. Gurcay et al.
What are the Turkish and Singaporean pre-service
physics teachers’ pedagogical beliefs and their beliefs
about the use of technology?
Are there significant differences between Turkish and
Singaporean pre-service physics teachers with respect
to pedagogical beliefs and their beliefs about the use of
technology?
Is there a significant relationship between Turkish and
Singaporean pre-service physics teachers with respect
to their pedagogical beliefs and their beliefs about
technology?
Method
Participants
A total of 205 pre-service physics teachers—119 from
Turkey and 90 from Singapore—volunteered as participants for this study. The method of sampling is convenience sampling. Both samples were selected from the
teacher preparation classes that were taught in Singapore
and Turkey. In Turkey, students must graduate from the
education faculty to qualify as secondary physics teachers.
Moreover, students could only enter 5 year graduate programs of education faculty after a Student Selection
Examination, conducted by Student Selection and Placement Center. Pre-service physics teachers have to complete
both pedagogical courses and physics courses (e.g.,
mechanics, electric and magnetism, vibration and waves,
electronics, optics and modern physics and elective physics
courses). In Singapore, pre-service physics teachers have to
go through general pedagogical courses and content related
pedagogical course to become a teacher. Pre-service
physics teachers are graduates from universities majoring
in physics or engineering. In other words, the participants
from both countries have essential content knowledge
about physics and they are going through pedagogical
training.
Procedure
The quantitative survey research method was used in this
study. All participants were informed that their participation was voluntary. Each participant spent approximately
15 min to complete the questionnaire.
Research Instruments
The study employed two sets of survey instruments: the
Teaching and Learning Conceptions Questionnaire (Chan
and Elliott 2004) and the Use of Technology Questionnaire
123
(Teo et al. 2008). The Singapore sample completed all of
the research instruments in English. The Turkish sample
worked on a translated version of the questionnaires. The
translation was done by the Turkish researcher in this study
and the translated version was scrutinized by two university lecturers from the department of translation and
interpretation. The Turkish versions of the scales were
further checked by a professor from the Department of
Turkish Language and Literature. The agreement rate for
the scale items was .90.
The pedagogical beliefs of physics teachers’ were
measured using the Teaching and Learning Conceptions
Questionnaire developed by Chan and Elliot (Chan and
Elliott 2004). This questionnaire has two scales: TT and
CT. Pre-service teachers respond to each statement on a
five-point Likert scale with 1 = ‘‘strongly disagree’’ and
5 = ‘‘strongly agree’’. High score indicates a favorable
response toward the measured construct.
The other measure of this study is the use of technology
instrument adopted from a recent survey by Teo et al.
(2008). This instrument was used to measure pre-service
physics teachers’ beliefs about the use of technology. It has
also two dimensions: traditional use of technology (TU)
and constructivist use of technology (CU). Items on this
instrument were presented in a five-point Likert scale with
1 = ‘‘strongly disagree’’ and 5 = ‘‘strongly agree’’.
Reliabilities of the instruments were determined by
computation of Cronbach’s alpha. Table 1 shows the
beliefs and constructs that were measured in this study with
sample items, Cronbach alpha coefficients. Internal reliabilities were calculated between .64 and .78 indicating
acceptable reliabilities as compared to the recent literature
(Teo et al. 2008).
For the construct validity, exploratory factor analysis
with principal component extraction was performed to
establish four factor structures of the instruments. Initial
principle component analysis with varimax rotation yielded
a four factor solution with eigen values greater than one. In
this four factor structure, items with loadings greater than
.50 were retained. The four factors accounted for 51 % of
the variance in the respondents’ scores.
In the second step, confirmatory factor analysis (CFA)
was performed to investigate construct validity of the
instruments. Root-mean-squared error of approximation
(RMSEA), comparative fit index (CFI), Chi-squared, and
change in Chi-squared given the change in degrees of
freedom between models were selected to test if CFA
model best represents the present data set. Fit indices are
given in Table 2. Best fitting models have RMSEA values
that are at or less than .08 (Hu and Bentler 1999). Moreover, CFI values greater than .90 indicate acceptable fit has
been achieved (Hu and Bentler 1999). When comparing
models, a lower Chi-squared value indicates a better fit,
Preservice Physics Teachers’ Beliefs
Table 1 Dimensions of the
constructs with sample items
159
Belief
Construct
Number Cronbach alpha Sample items
of items reliabilities
Pedagogical
Traditional
teaching
7
.78
Teaching is simply telling, presenting or
explaining the subject matter
Constructivist 5
teaching
.75
Effective teaching encourages more discussion
and hands-on activities for students
4
.68
Master skills just taught
Constructivist 3
use
.64
Learn to work independently
Use of
Traditional
technology
use
Table 4 Correlations between pedagogical beliefs and the use of
technology beliefs
Table 2 Fit indices for confirmatory factor model
RMSEA
CFI
df
v2
v2/df
P
.040
.945
145
192.525
1.328
.005
Country
CT
TT
CU
SG
TT
Table 3 Mean, standard deviation and t test results
Country
N
Mean
SD
t test
Constructivist teaching (CT)
SG
90
4.18
2.08
TR
115
4.14
2.73
.660
Traditional teaching (TT)
90
2.27
3.87
-.086
.420**
.103
TT
-.281**
CU
.357**
-.050
TU
.415**
.063
.600**
T
.437**
TR
115
2.27
4.42
.058
Constructivist use (CU)
SG
90
4.18
1.79
TR
115
3.80
2.17
3.92
4.04
1.62
1.56
5.63*
Traditional use (TU)
90
115
.500**
TU
** Correlation is significant at the .01 level (2-tailed)
SG
SG
TR
-.137
CU
1.58
* p \ .005
given an equal number of degrees of freedom (Hu and
Bentler 1999). According to the results, this model fits the
data.
Results
Descriptive statistics related to the beliefs about teaching
and use of technology and independent samples t test
provide the answers for research question 1 and 2, and the
results are given in Table 3. According to the Table 3, preservice physics teachers reflect low level TT beliefs but
they reflect high level CT beliefs. Furthermore, both TU
and CU mean scores for the pre-service physics teachers
were also high.
An independent-sample t test was performed to clarify
differences between Turkish and Singaporean pre-service
physics teachers regarding pedagogical beliefs and use of
technology beliefs. A significant difference was only found
between Turkish and Singaporean pre-service physics
teachers scores regarding CU [t(202) = 5.63, p \ .001).
These results indicate that Singaporean pre-service physics
teachers’ Constructivist Use of Technology were significantly higher than Turkish pre-service physics teachers’.
There were no significant differences between Turkish and
Singaporean pre-service physics teachers regarding CT,
TT, and TU beliefs.
To answer research question 3, we determine the relation between pedagogical beliefs and the use of technology
beliefs through Pearson correlation. Pearson Correlation
analyses are given in Table 4. According to this analysis,
CT for both samples was significantly correlated with CU
and TU. Moreover, there is a significant negative correlation between CT and TT for Turkey sample. There was no
relation between TT and CU and TU for both samples. CU
was significantly correlated with TU in both samples.
Discussion
The results of this research indicate that both Turkish and
Singaporean pre-service physics teachers are more inclined
toward CT rather than TT. Both groups of teachers tend to
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160
believe that the best teaching and learning process occur if
students are actively involved during instruction. They also
believe that the teachers should facilitate learning rather
than transmit knowledge. These results are consistent with
earlier studies regarding teachers’ beliefs about CT (Chai
and Khine 2008; Teo et al. 2008; Eren 2009). In the cited
studies, the Teaching and Learning Conceptions Questionnaire developed by Chan and Elliot (2004) was used.
Chai and Khine (2008) reported that Singaporean pre-service teachers (N = 877) were inclined to believe in CC
rather than TT. Interestingly, Eren (2009) also found a
similar inclination among Turkish pre-service elementary
teachers. In general, the results indicate that there is no
cultural difference in terms of pedagogical beliefs between
Turkey and Singaporean pre-service teachers. This could
be due to the emphasis of both countries ministry of education emphasis on constructivist-oriented education
reform. The results also imply the general categories of TT
and CT could be established in cross-cultural context.
As the samples for this study comprise pre-service
physics teachers, it may be inferred that pre-service physics
teachers tend to believe in CT approach. Pre-service teachers may not always believe in the constructivist approach as
indicated in earlier studies by Chan and Elliott (2004) and
Teo et al. (2008). Previous studies have shown that teachers’
beliefs affect implementation of the curriculum reforms
(Day et al. 2005). The present study indicates that both
Turkish and Singaporean pre-service physics teachers hold
constructivist pedagogical beliefs, which is generally
desirable and it does not contradict the reform efforts in their
respective countries. It may imply that the pre-service
physics teachers are not against the idea of CT. However, as
Lim and Chai (2008) research indicates, deeper probing
about teacher’s beliefs and practice may reveal more complex relationship between beliefs and practice. Further
qualitative research should be conducted to further understand the dynamics between beliefs and practice especially
in terms of how contextual factors shape teachers’ instructional decision. Such work may also reveal the need to foster
deeper understanding among pre-service teachers about CT
and the need for teacher educators to model CT to build up
the pre-service teaching repertoire. While espoused beliefs
may indicate favorable condition for education reform, the
difference between beliefs and practice has to be further
examined to avoid overlooking possible gaps. CT is an
ambitious form of teaching that may pose great challenges to
beginning teacher (Windschitl 2002).
No statistical differences were detected between the
Singaporean and Turkish pre-service physics teachers’
pedagogical beliefs. However, a statistically significant
difference was detected between Turkish and Singaporean
pre-service physics teachers’ constructivist use of technology beliefs. While Singaporean pre-service physics
123
D. Gurcay et al.
teachers expressed a stronger tendency toward the constructivist use of technology, the mean score (m = 3.92)
for TU indicates that they are also likely to engage in the
traditional use of technology. Interestingly, while the
Turkish pre-service physics teachers are positive about the
use of ICT for both constructivist teaching (CU, m = 3.80)
and traditional teaching (TU, m = 4.04), it seems that they
may have a stronger inclination to use ICT for TT. Differences between Singapore and Turkey teacher training
may help to explain this phenomenon. In Turkey, pre-service physics teachers take obligatory ICT related courses;
however, they only learn how to use computers. Unfortunately most of the universities in Turkey do not offer any
courses on the use of computers in implementing a constructivist curriculum. Singapore pre-service education on
the other hand emphasizes much on the pedagogical use of
ICT rather than computer skills, for example the use of
problem-based learning supported by ICT, which is clearly
constructivist oriented (see So and Kim 2009).
In a study carried out in Turkey involving the deans of
51 faculties of education, it was discovered that 55 % of
the faculties did not have units that integrated ICT with the
curriculum and that 67 % did not provide in-service
training to academic staff regarding ICT (Goktas et al.
2008). The study showed that the most important problems
in the integration process are due to (1) inadequacy of inservice training, (2) lack of relevant software and teaching
material, (3) low level of basic knowledge and skills of the
academic staff regarding ICT, (4) lack of equipment, and
(5) lack of knowledge and information of the academic
staff on how to integrate ICT into the curriculum (Goktas
et al. 2008). All of the above-mentioned problems may
have caused a statistically significant difference between
Turkish and Singaporean pre-service physics teachers’
beliefs regarding the constructivist use of technology.
Teacher educators in Turkey may need to reconsider their
approach toward enhancing the pre-service teachers’ ICT
competencies. They could perhaps make adapt the Singapore or other countries pedagogical model, which are
available through published literature (e.g., So and Kim
2009; Mishra and Koehler 2006).
Further analysis of correlation showed that there is a
significant correlation between teaching beliefs and the
beliefs about the use of technology in both Turkish and
Singaporean pre-service physics teachers. CT beliefs is
positively correlated with constructivist use of technology,
as expected. However, CT beliefs is also positively correlated with traditional use of technology. Studies on pedagogical beliefs indicate a significant relationship between
CT beliefs and the constructivist use of technology (Tubin
2006). However, Teo et al. (2008) have shown a significant
association between CT beliefs and traditional use of
technology for Singaporean teachers. Teachers, in the
Preservice Physics Teachers’ Beliefs
Singapore context, may make use of traditional use of
technology within a constructivist learning environment to
support learning (Teo et al. 2008). The study also pointed
out that it may be more important to reach learning
objectives than to decide either to use the technology in
constructivist or TT. Similarly, a research undertaken with
Taiwanese teachers showed that ‘‘constructivist teachers
implemented lectured-based teaching activities when using
technology, not constructivist-based teaching activities, to
save time and complete textbook lessons’’ (Liu 2011,
p. 1014).
Becker (2001) stated that teachers with CT beliefs are
more inclined to be users of ICT, and they also tend to use
ICT more in their teaching practices. However, recent
studies indicate that teachers with CT beliefs use technology both in constructivist and TT modes. The similar
results obtained for the two countries in this study lend
further support for this thesis. This study affirms the
importance of focusing on addressing fundamental beliefs
about teaching and learning to implement critical reforms
in education, including those related to the constructivist
use of ICT in curriculum (Day et al. 2005; Fullan 1991). It
would be necessary to expose teachers to the use of ICT in
a student-centered learning environment to improve their
self-efficacy in CT (Inan et al. 2010; Yildirim and Goktas
2007).
Conclusion
This study investigated Singaporean and Turkish pre-service physics teachers’ beliefs about teaching and their
beliefs about the use of ICT to support TT or CT. The
findings indicate that pre-service teachers from both
nations are relatively comparable, indicating possible
influences of constructivist-oriented education reforms in
the two countries. The significance difference between the
two samples of pre-service teachers is in their beliefs about
constructivist use of technology, which can be accounted
for by the pre-service teacher education programs for ICT.
Future research investigating the differences between the
beliefs and practice is of interest as this is still underresearched.
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