17 General introduction 1 Classifications of beliefs about teaching and learning The studies of university educators’ beliefs about teaching and learning have yielded an abundance of information about how educators conceptualise teaching. However, the ways in which the beliefs were determined and described are very diverse, making it difficult to compare the studies and their reported results. Moreover, there is a need for a classification that not only differentiates between teaching-centred versus learning-centred beliefs, but also provides a more detailed and sophisticated measurement scale to determine more precisely the degree of teaching-centredness and learning-centredness. Samuelowicz & Bain’s extended 2001 framework16 maintained the richness of global descriptions together with a systematic, comprehensive comparison of descriptions of categories of beliefs identified by researchers. The framework consists of a matrix and describes teaching beliefs in terms of belief orientations and belief dimensions (for convenience, we have provided the framework in Table 1.1). A belief orientation represents a global, composite set of beliefs about teaching, learning, and knowledge. In the framework, there are seven different belief orientations, indicated in the columns in the matrix, ranging from teachingcentred to learning-centred. These seven belief orientations are defined by nine belief dimensions, indicated in the rows in the matrix. Each dimension represents a different aspect of the belief orientations regarding teaching, learning, and knowledge. Within each dimension two to four beliefs can be distinguished. For example, the four beliefs listed within the dimension ‘Teacher-student interaction’ are: ‘one-way from teacher to students,’ ‘two-way to maintain students’ attention,’ ‘two-way to ensure/clarify understanding,’ and ‘two-way to negotiate meaning.’ These beliefs are ordered on a continuum from teachingcentred to learning-centred.
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