ABSTRACT
This chapter explores and illustrates in more detail the notion of implicit theories of learning. It argues that they are indeed ‘implicit’ because many preconceptions about learning have themselves been picked up tacitly, and are only partially, if at all, available to conscious scrutiny. Some of these belief systems concern the nature of ‘self’, especially the way people see themselves as learners. Such beliefs often reduce learners’ tolerance for the uncomfortableness of learning, causing them to get upset, become self-critical and lose heart. Other beliefs concern the nature of mind and of knowledge. Some prevalent views of the mind disallow certain valuable learning strategies, such as those that rely on cognitive processes that are slower, less conscious and less capable of being controlled or assessed. Implicit theories of learning itself – what resources it takes, what kind of time course it follows, what kinds of products it generates – can also misguide both the recipients and the designers of professional education. The effect of such tacit beliefs on both the theory and practice of adult professional learning has been well illustrated by the two preceding chapters.
