Greek teachers' personal theory on writing at the elementary level : opportunity for innovation or defense mechanism?

Abstract

In view of the importance of teachers' personal theories on their education, teaching and in-service education, this study aims to examine Greek elementary school teachers' personal theory on students writing. Forty-two teachers of both genders, varying in years of experience, serving in urban and sub urban schools, filled in a questionnaire. This was made up of closed and open-ended questions concerning their knowledge, attitudes and assessment on (a) conditions surrounding students' writing, (b) the actual teaching of writing in their context, and (c) their evaluation of students' writing. The data was examined through both qualitative and quantitative means. The findings indicated that teachers see good writing not as a teachable skill, but as a gift; their role as only that of a judge and not as a helper or a collaborator; students' writing as a product and not a process and as 'knowledge telling' and 'knowledge transforming'. A discussion of these findings in relation to changing teachers' personal theory follows.