LEARNING CONCEPTIONS: A COMPARISON BETWEEN TEACHERS’ DISCOURSES AND GRADUATE STUDENTS’ DISCOURSES

Abstract

This paper compares theories of learning between teachers and students in the graduation courses of Administration, Pedagogy, and teaching degree in Mathematics. The data was collected through semi-structured interviews, which were tape-recorded. The interviews were transcribed and printed. After this process
categories for analysis were extracted. Both the teachers’ and the students’ conceptions were grouped into categories. The teachers’ were: a) learning as individual construction; b) learning as an assimilation process; c) learning through practice; d) learning as an internal reconstruction process. The student’ categories were: a) learning out of interest / necessity; b) learning as reception of information; c) learning through practice. The research demonstrates a predominance of the constructivist
learning in the discourse of both groups researched.