International Handbook of Research on Teachers' Beliefs

'When teachers walk into classrooms, their beliefs about their role can be more critical than their lesson plan, the assessment, the students, or the structure of the class. A book dedicated to these beliefs is welcome. This book, one of the first on this topic, is more an introduction via a pleasant dip than full immersion...‘the key construct of the field, the one of beliefs is ill defined; its methods are acknowledged to be problematic; and the fundamental rationale, the one of beliefs as an explanatory principle for practice, is refuted as much as confirm’. This is why this book is so critical. It brings together various perspectives, and poses a great direction for future researchers, for PhD teams, and for those who have innovative measurement skills. If, as I would defend, it is the beliefs of teachers that matter most, then this field needs to grow up. I commend this book, warts and all, as a forerunner for exciting things to come. That, at least, is my belief.'- Professor John Hattie, Director, Melbourne Education Research Institute Melbourne Graduate School of Education, The Australian Educational and Developmental Psychologist