Page 17 - Mini-Module 12

practices, which supports the assertion that changes of practices
precede changes of beliefs (Guskey, 2002). According to the Model of
Teacher Change suggested by Guskey (2002), “change in teachers’
attitudes and beliefs is primarily a result, rather than a cause, of
change in the learning outcomes of students” (p.386). Nevertheless,
Prawat (1992) asserts that it is hard for teachers to move toward a
constructivist approach to teaching without the much‐needed
conceptual change. As for the Liberal Studies teachers in Hong Kong,
they have to draw on several sources of knowledge underpinning the
instructional design and delivery of the issue‐enquiry approach. Given
that the substantive and syntactic structures are “value‐laden
organization of knowledge” (Schwab, 1978, cited in Gudmundsdottir,
1990), it would be a perplexing issue to question how, when, and why
Liberal Studies teachers in Hong Kong undergo the conceptual change
and build the capacity to translate knowledge into practice.

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