Understanding middle students' beliefs about knowledge and learning using a multidimensional paradigm
Authors
Advisors
Issue Date
Type
Keywords
Citation
Abstract
Recent theory (Schommer, 1990) suggests that personal epistemology is multidimensional. The multidimensional epistemology structure with middle school students was tested in this study. Over 1,200 students in Grades 7 and 8 completed an epistemological belief questionnaire. Prior theory, developed with college students, suggested 4 epistemological belief factors: Ability to Learn, Structure of Knowledge, Speed of Learning, and Stability of Knowledge. Confirmatory factor analysis applied to a random half of the sample indicated that a 3-factor model was a good fit to the data. That model was replicated with the second half of the data. Follow-up regression analyses indicated that the more students believed in gradual learning and incremental ability to learn, the higher GPA they earned.
Table of Contents
Description
Publisher
Journal
Book Title
Series
v.94 no.2
PubMed ID
DOI
ISSN
1940-0675 (online)