63 research outputs found
Culture and Personal Epistemology: U.S. and Middle Eastern Studentsâ beliefs about Scientific Knowledge and Knowing
Middle Eastern (Omani) and Western (U.S.) studentsâ beliefs about knowledge and knowing in the sciences were compared on four dimensions of personal epistemology proposed by Hofer and Pintrich ( Review of Educational Research (1997), 67 , 88â140). As predicted, given their experiences with comparatively traditional political and religious institutions, Omani more so than U.S. college students were more likely to accept scientific authorities as the basis of scientific truth. Furthermore, Omani men were more accepting of authorities than were Omani women, but there was no gender difference among U.S. students. Omani more than U.S. students also believed that knowledge in the sciences was simpler and more certain, which is consistent with comparisons between U.S. and Asian students (e.g., Qian & Pan, 2002, A comparision of epistemological beliefs and learning from science text between American and Chinese high school students. In B. K. Hofer & P. R. Pintrich (Eds.), Personal epistomology: The psychology of beliefs about knowledge and knowing (pp. 365â385), Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum). Students in the two countries did not differ, however, in whether their beliefs were based on personal opinions versus systematic evidence. Suggestions for further research included directly assessing experiences with, and attitudes toward, authorities in academic and other areas of studentsâ lives.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/43812/1/11218_2005_Article_1826.pd
Wanting to become PE teachers in Spain: connections between previous experiences and particular beliefs about school Physical Education and the development of professional teacher identities
Physical Education (PE) teachers have previous experiences that both
shape their particular beliefs about the role and purpose of this school
subject as well as their pedagogical practice. The present study aims to
examine and deepen our knowledge of future Spanish PE teachersâ
previous experiences of and beliefs about PE that condition their
pedagogical practice and intentionality within this school subject. The
data reported on in this paper were generated through questionnaires,
life-history stories and semi-structured interviews with 24 initial teacher
education students in the second year of a degree specialising in PE at a
Spanish university. The data was analysed using content and narrative
(thematic) analysis. The students, far from being tabula rasa, in their
responses show how their previous socialisation period, their
subjectivities and identities constitute particular beliefs about PE
teaching. More specifically, the results reveal four key themes in the
student teachersâ experiences and beliefs that represent four different
factors influencing future PE teacher identities: (1) âSportâ; (2) âPE for
healthâ; (3) âA focus on pedagogyâ; and (4) âA critical orientationâ. In
conclusion, the study reaffirms the need for further reflection on how
previous experiences and beliefs influence the development of
professional teacher identities as part of initial teacher education in PE
Elementary School Studentsâ Epistemic Perspective and Learning Strategies in History
The present study explores possible relations between studentsâ epistemic perspective, learning strategies and text comprehension. In Study 1, seventy-nine sixth graders completed paper-and-pencil instruments to measure their epistemic perspective and learning strategies. Studentsâ epistemic perspective was assessed using the Livian problem (Kuhn, Iordanou, Pease, & Wirkala, 2008), which presented two contradicting accounts about the fictitious fifth Livian war and asked students questions regarding the certainty of their knowledge. Students were epistemically profiled as Absolutists, Multiplists and Evaluativists in their approaches to knowing. Studentsâ learning strategies were assessed through the Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire â MSLQ â (Pintrich & De Groot, 1990). In Study 2, twenty of the students who participated in Study 1 were individually interviewed to measure their learning strategies, where they were asked to read a text about Columbusâ uncovering of the New World. Results revealed that students who were profiled as Evaluativists showed greater self-efficacy, intrinsic value, use of cognitive strategies and self-regulation. In addition, students who were profiled as Evaluativists engaged in more effective learning strategies and exhibited better text comprehension compared to students who were profiled as Absolutists. In particular, students who exhibited an Evaluativist epistemic perspective engaged in the strategies of understanding vocabulary, summarizing and underlining, while students who exhibited an Absolutist epistemic perspective engaged more in repeating information and quick reading. Our findings show that a mature epistemic perspective is associated with effective usage of learning strategies and text comprehension
Understanding Middle Students' Beliefs About Knowledge and Learning Using a Multidimensional Paradigm
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. © 2000 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC
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