A STUDY OF DIFFERENTIAL TEACHER BELIEFS DEVELOPED THROUGH CONVENTIONAL TEACHER EDUCATION AND DISTANCE TEACHER EDUCATION SYSTEMS

Teacher beliefs can be defined as the influence of teacher training on beliefs of teachers (affective domain) about their capability to make a difference in student learning and to teach all kinds of students. Teachers who are more successful with students should have stronger beliefs in their capabilities. Thus, differences between the two groups of teachers (conventional and distance) were studied using a Teacher Sense of Efficacy Scale developed by Tschannen-Moran and Hoy (2001). The Objective is to compare the influence of teachers training on teacher Beliefs trained through conventional and distance teacher education system. The attempt has been made to study the independent variables in retrospect, for their possible relationships to and the influences on the dependent variables. It is thus examining retrospectively the effects of a naturally occurring event on subsequent outcomes with a view to establishing causal link between them. The nature of the research is Ex-Post facto. Random sample of 25 public schools were selected. Out of which 50 teachers with B.Ed. through Conventional Teacher Education (CTE) and 50 teachers with B.Ed. through Distance Teacher Education (DTE) were selected as a sample of the study. Tools Used Teacher Sense of Efficacy Scale developed by Tschannen-Moran and Hoy (2001). Data were collected from the teaherss The scale has items that tap beliefs about instructional strategies, student engagement, and classroom management. It is concluded the teacher beliefs developed during teachers training were found to be more in teachers trained through conventional system of teacher education as compared to distance system of teacher education