The research question of this paper is: what role do belief systems play in teacher education?

Our starting point is the current belief that inquiry (or ‘inquiry-based methods’) are the way forward for science education, especially in terms of addressing student disengagement from, and low achievement in, science. The evidence for the effectiveness of inquiry is mixed (Hattie 2009), which raises questions about belief in science, its relation to faith and the wider role of inquiry as a philosophical underpinning to teaching. In teacher education research, therefore, there is a need for studies, not of ‘teachers’ beliefs’ as such, but of the belief systems which drive education systems as a whole, and how these reveal themselves in teacher education.

A number of current factors suggest that belief systems, and faith in a wide sense, are a vital but neglected area in educational research. Firstly, we have an economic crisis, undermining faith in the system and leading to unemployment, depression and even suicides.

Secondly, we have the EU offering various strategies for overcoming current challenges, mostly based on the hope that science, technology, research and innovation can get us out of trouble, allied with increased citizen involvement in all these areas (EC, 2010). At the same time, public faith in the EU as a supra-national ‘rescuer’ is decreasing rapidly.

Finally, we have evidence that lack of engagement in education is leading to under-achievement, dropout and poor employment opportunities (Gray, 2012; ProCoNet, 2011). This can be traced to a missing sense of purpose in education resulting from conflicting ideals and belief systems, some of them negative or even nihilistic. Education systems are increasingly driven by faith in statistics, with ever-increasing control and management systems purporting to reduce the risk of educational failure whilst actually increasing it.

The underlying problem is therefore that a variety of belief systems are competing for attention. Religious belief systems are struggling to survive in secular European societies, whilst fundamentalist systems are gaining elsewhere. Humanist or scientific belief systems have failed to inspire the public imagination. Meanwhile, the educational standards discourse has revived discussion of values in teaching. Consequently, teachers and teacher educators are being challenged to provide leadership based on belief, whilst often lacking the resources to provide that leadership.

The positive role of belief systems in health has been recognised  (Lindström & Eriksson, 2010). It is now timely to examine the positive role of belief systems in education. In particular, future orientation as a component of belief systems needs to be re-examined (Friedman & Schlipp, 1967). Current systems, focusing on predictability, are unable to cope with the unexpected, yet a combination of hope and the unexpected is precisely what is sought in current EU initiatives. Even at local level, where these initiatives play no part in school life, there are underlying values and belief systems. These are challenged by the introduction of inquiry, and we argue that a critical approach to belief systems   would be a valuable adition to the repertoire of teacher educators.

EC (European Commission) (2010) Communication From The Commission: EUROPE 2020: A strategy for smart, sustainable and inclusive growth, Brussels, European Commission. Friedman, Paul A & Schlipps, Maurice S. (eds) (1967) The Philosophy of Martin Buber, La Salle, Illinois, Open Court Publishing. Gray, Peter (2012) Inquiry Based Science Education in Europe: Setting the Horizon 2020 Agenda for Educational Research? Paper presented at PROFILES conference, Berlin, Sept.2012. Lindström B. and Eriksson M. (2010) The Hitchhikers Guide To Salutogenesis: Salutogenic Pathways to Health Promotion, Folkhälsan Research Centre for Health Promotion Research, Research Report 2010:2. ProCoNet (Project Coordinators Network) (2011) Inquiry-Based Science Teaching / Education and Low Achievers, Freiburg, ProCoNet.