Effects of Educational Culture and Teaching Experience on Teachers' Beliefs

Implicit conceptions of intelligence are a very meaningful investigation and intervention field from the point of view of education and teacher training. By using this term we intend to refer to the beliefs one has about the nature of intelligence and the factors which influence its development. The distinction between implicit and explicit theories about intelligence refers to their very nature: the first are present in people’s minds, whether consciously or unconsciously, and belong to the cultural heritage of a given cultural group, the second have been constructed over time by the scientific community. The article presents the results of a research study conducted on 373 teachers, 161 from Italy (Siracusa) and 212 form Switzerland (Fribourg). Aim of the study was to investigate to what extent the belief system of two groups of teachers was influenced by educational culture and/or by their belonging to a specific social group, namely that of teachers. The results of our study show a tendency to take on an innatist conception of intelligence alongside with teaching experience and independently of educational culture.