Investigating teachers' conceptions of intelligence

Abstract

Using the history and development of intelligence theories and research into conceptions of intelligence, a study is undertaken to compare pre-service and in-service teachers' conceptions of intelligence. Inquiry focuses on answering whether teacher conceptions develop over the course of a teaching career, whether these conceptions initiate in pre­service courses, whether there is a difference between pre-service and in-service teachers' conceptions of intelligence and whether either group demonstrates a particular affiliation to one of the four major theories of intelligence. Groups of in-service and pre-service teachers were found and a 100-item questionnaire was given. Through use of the Mann­Whitney and scrutinizing of differences between means, no significant difference between the two groups was discovered. Areas for future investigation may include further research into the origination of implicit conceptions of intelligence and subject­related differences between teacher conceptions.