Investigation of physical education teacher candidates' epistemological beliefs and teaching-learning conceptions

Purpose: This study aims to analyse physical education teacher candidates' epistemological beliefs and teaching-learning conceptions in universities in Aegean region and identify the relationship between these beliefs and conceptions. Material and Method: This study has been applied in survey model and sample group consists of 333 teacher candidates in I. and IV. grade of Physical Education and Sport Teaching Department of MCBÜ, EÜ, MSKÜ, ADÜ and PAÜ universities in 2018/2019 academic term. Personal Information Form, Epistemological Beliefs Scale and Teaching-Learning Conception Scale adopted to Turkish culture by Aypay (2011a, 2011b) are used in data collection process. Independent Samples T-Test, One Way ANOVA, Scheffe Test, Pearson Correlation Analysis and Path Analysis is applied for data analysis. Findings: While physical education teacher candidates' learning process, learning effort and constructivist conception average scores are at high level, it is determined that their innate/fixed ability, certainty knowledge and traditional conception average scores are at moderate level. Based on path analysis results, it is determined that innate/fixed ability and certainty knowledge predicted traditional conception in positive direction while learning process-doubt and learning effort beliefs predicted constructive conceptions in positive direction. Results: The results showed that physical education teacher candidates generally believed importance of learning effort and learning process and adopted constructivist conceptions. On the other hand, it is determined that epistemological beliefs have determinative effect on adopting traditional or constructivist conceptions. Keywords: Physical Education Teacher Candidates, Epistemological Beliefs, Teaching-Learning Conceptions, Traditional Conception, Constructivist Conceptions