The relationship between epistemological beliefs and problem solving skills of first and middle school teachers and administrators

Since teachers are people who raise new generations in the identity of the individual and guide the society, our study investigates the relationship between the epistemological beliefs of school teachers and administrators and their approach to solving the problems they face. In our study, in which survey method was applied, two scales and a demographic information form were applied to 300 school teachers and administrators working in a public school on the Anatolian Side of İstanbul in the 2012-2013 academic year. One of the scales applied was the Epistemological Beliefs Questionnaire (EBQ), developed by Shommer in 1990 in order to measure epistemological beliefs, and adapted in to Turkısh by Deryakulu and Büyüköztürkin 2002. The second scale was the Problem Solving Inventory (PSI), developed by Heppner and Peterson in 1982 to assess problem solving skills and adapted in to Turkısh by Şahin, Şahin and Heppner. Data was analyzed using SPSS 15.0. The correlation between the sub scales of EBQ and PSI was identified. Additionally, descriptive statistics for both questionnaires, independent sample t-test according to gender and status, ANOVA based on occupational experience, age and branch, linear regression to determine the effect of epistemological beliefs on problem solving approaches were all conducted through SPSS. The results of the study revealed a significant relation between epistemological beliefs and problem solving skills. The study detected significantly positive relation between "improved/matured epistemological beliefs" and "problem solving skills perception", concluding that individuals with improved/matured epistemological beliefs do have improved problem solving skills, as well.