Construction of the teaching ability belief scale- extended: a pilot study

Many researchers indicated the significance of pre-service teachers’ beliefs (Bernat, 2008; Carter & Norwood, 1997; Feiman-Nemser, 2001) and showed that they are guided by their beliefs (Buchmann, 1984; Nespor, 1987; Pajares, 1992: Thompson, 1992). It is suggested that the beliefs of teachers and pre-service teachers be the center of many teacher education programs and research (Pajares, 1992), as they are the best indicators of decisions individuals make throughout their lives (Bandura, 1986; Pintrich, 1989). The significance of study of this topic lies in the fact that there are very few relevant valid and reliable scales that can be used to measure the source of prospective teachers’ teaching beliefs. This study, therefore, aims to develop a psychometrically sound scale that surveys the beliefs of pre-service teachers towards the nature of the teaching ability. The results of the study reveal that the source of teaching ability beliefs has 6 components: (a) inherent; (b) instructed; (c) either; (d) inherent but still needs development; (e) observed and (f) experienced.