Epistemic Beliefs Research Articles

ABSTRACT This study investigated e-Argumentation software's impact on middle school students’ (N = 838, grades 5-8) academic achievement, argumentation skills, and epistemological beliefs, compared to Software-free Argumentation and traditional teaching. A mixed-methods design, incorporating a quasi-experimental pretest-posttest control group approach and a multiple case study, assigned students to e-Argumentation, Software-free Argumentation, or Control groups. Data were collected via achievement tests, argumentation rubrics, an epistemological belief scale, an epistemic vignette, and student interviews. Quantitative analyses revealed that both argumentation groups significantly outperformed controls in academic achievement. The e-Argumentation group demonstrated higher achievement than the no-software group in grades 6 and 8, while the reverse was observed in grade 5; no significant difference was found in grade 7. Descriptively, e-Argumentation groups produced higher quality arguments. The impact on epistemological beliefs was limited; quantitative measures indicated a small e-Argumentation advantage over controls in grades 7-8, though interviews suggested increased student awareness of their beliefs and the nature of scientific knowledge. In conclusion, argumentation-based instruction effectively improves academic achievement and argumentation skills in science. e-Argumentation software shows promise as a supportive tool, but fostering changes in epistemological beliefs appears to be a more complex, long-term process.

While much research has been done on secondary teachers’ epistemic beliefs regarding the nature of history, little research has been done on elementary pre-service teachers’ epistemic beliefs. Believing history is an evidence-based interpretation of the past allows teachers to teach history from multiple sources and viewpoints and to engage students in critical thinking, evidence-based argument, and collaborative discourse – all necessary skills for participation in a pluralistic democracy. This qualitative study investigates changing epistemic beliefs regarding history among 22 prospective elementary teachers enrolled in a history and geography methods course. Drawing on data from pre- and post-surveys and coursework, the study explores how epistemic beliefs may change at this stage of teacher development. The results of this study showed that the intentional, scaffolded use of primary sources, historical thinking skills, and inquiry-based learning shifted pre-service elementary teachers’ epistemic beliefs and their plans for teaching history in their future elementary classrooms.

STEM-5E Socio-Scientific Argumentation with Generative AI-Driven Scaffolding: Exploring the Interplay between Epistemic Beliefs and Learning Outcomes

This study investigates the pedagogical impact of René Descartes’ method of analysis on higher education students. The central inquiry is whether teaching this method fosters robust, self-reliant inquiry or inadvertently promotes epistemic rigidity. A quasi-experimental, pre-test/post-test design was employed with 180 undergraduate philosophy students across three groups: a Cartesian Method group, a Collaborative Inquiry group, and a Control group. Over an 8-week intervention, we measured changes in epistemic beliefs (certainty, source, justification) and academic self-efficacy using validated scales. Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA) revealed that the Cartesian Method group showed significant gains in academic self-efficacy for logical argumentation. However, this group also developed stronger beliefs in knowledge certainty and individual intuition as a source of truth, alongside a diminished appreciation for knowledge derived from collaboration or empirical evidence. These findings suggest that while Cartesian pedagogy can bolster confidence in individual reasoning, it risks fostering absolutist epistemic stances, highlighting a critical trade-off for educators designing critical thinking curricula.

Purpose – Student epistemology can be understood as an intrinsic aspect that influences student success in learning activities. Therefore, teachers need to innovate learning methods based on the level of understanding and needs of students in order to conduct and engage them in learning activities within the school environment.Methodology – The research aims to map the trend of research development related to student epistemic in the learning process based on the Scopus database. There are 890 metadata records of Scopus-indexed journal articles from the period 2013-2022, which are analyzed bibliometrically using the VOSviewer software to identify trends in student epistemic research.Findings – The study's results revealed that research publications related to student epistemic development from 2013 to 2022, with the highest Scopus index in 2022, comprised 184 articles (20.44%). Bibliometric mapping also shows that student epistemic research with the themes "epistemic access, epistemic access, epistemic practices, epistemological beliefs, and epistemic tools" has a novelty to research. This can provide an opportunity for further research related to student epistemic studies.Significance – The implications of this research are expected to make a significant contribution to academics, researchers, and educational practitioners in understanding the field of student epistemic studies, as well as providing recommendations for researchers to conduct further research related to students' epistemic abilities in learning activities at school.

Empirical research studies investigating teachers’ epistemic beliefs about science are scattered across the science education literature. This research summarizes and describes the literature investigating the development of teachers’ epistemic beliefs about science over the last 25 years. The focus of this summary is on how teachers’ epistemic beliefs about science have been investigated and conceptualized as well as the themes arising from empirical studies considering this construct. Using a systematic literature review (PRISMA protocol), empirical research studies investigating the development of teachers’ epistemic beliefs about science were identified. Thematic analysis was used to analyze, summarize, and interpret data. Findings indicate that teachers’ epistemic belief development is commonly studied using interventions to instruct teachers about and engage them with the epistemic underpinnings of science. The nature of science was the most frequently used framework to conceptualize teachers’ epistemic beliefs about science, with few studies using approaches more common in the general epistemic belief or epistemic belief development literature. Reflections on and interpretations of the summary of this systematic literature are provided, including potential considerations for future directions of research investigating the development of teachers’ epistemic beliefs about science.

Ellen Watson holds a PhD in Secondary Education from the University of Alberta. She is an assistant professor in the Department of Curriculum of Pedagogy at the Brandon University Faculty of Education where she teaches science teacher education courses, general education courses, and graduate courses in curriculum. Her research interests include science teacher education, science teacher epistemic beliefs, development of epistemic beliefs, and physics education. Ellen is currently serving as the past president of the Science Education Research Group, a special interest group of the Canadian Society for the Study of Education. Website: https://people.brandonu.ca/watsone/

This study examines the relationship and influences between teacher epistemic beliefs and their learning environment. Drawing on a multiple case study design, six in-service elementary school science teachers were purposefully selected from a larger, NSF-funded study of teachers’ adaptive expertise in the epistemic complexities of science teaching. Methods involved hypothesis, open, and integrative cross-case & cross-strata analyses of epistemic orientation surveys, field observation notes, semi-structured interviews, vignettes, and Teacher Implementation scores, demonstrate that teacher beliefs/orientation type are associated with classroom environment type characterization. Further, results show that struggles of teachers mirrored elementary school science teachers’ sense of control, persistence, and adaptive expertise. Major findings from the study reveal that participants who exhibited rigid epistemic beliefs and fluid/flexible epistemic beliefs tended to establish replicative and generative learning environments respectively, albeit on a continuum. And that, while teachers with flexible epistemic belief showed increased teacher adaptive expertise and co-shared classroom authority/control, teachers with rigid epistemic belief struggled to release control and were generally less adaptive/persistent. Finally, the study discusses pertinent implications for policy, practice, and research. For policy, framers of standards documents, policy makers of teacher preparation, and curriculum developers should consider teacher beliefs and attitudes as foundational for framing future science standards. Regarding practice, the study suggests a reconstruction of belief systems about knowledge and knowing or a total shift in epistemic beliefs for practice. Future research could explore the synergy of all the data sets by adopting a multi-perspective approach for their study.

While much research has revealed the prevalence of climate change misinformation on social media, there is no conclusive evidence about its impact on cultivating public misperceptions. Even less work has been done to examine how social media use may condition the relationships between cognitive orientations, such as epistemic and science populism beliefs, and climate change misperceptions. This study fills this gap by analyzing data from a national representative survey of 1405 US adults. Results confirmed the relationships between cognitive orientations and climate change misperceptions. While neither mainstream nor alternative social media use had a direct impact, both types of social media use conditioned the relationships between cognitive orientations and climate change misperceptions. This study's findings suggest that social media use's adverse impact on climate change misperceptions may have been overstated.

Pro-Me-ToM (Promoting Metacognitive and Theory-of-Mind Skills) is an Erasmus+ collaborative project funded by IDEP (Foundation of European Programs for Lifelong Learning) and has been conducted by researchers from five countries (i.e., Cyprus, Greece, Hungary, Portugal, and Romania), aiming to both investigating and to promoting teachers’ and students’ metacognitive skills. Within this project a well-designed educational intervention has been developed, translated and applied in five countries. Specifically, this research project aimed to enhance such skills as metacognitive skills, epistemic beliefs and theory-of-mind skills of both teachers and students. These critical skills are examples of students' higher-order thinking, and are expected not only to help students to "learn how to learn" throughout their lives, but also to enable them to interpret human behavior in order to coexist functionally with others. This paper describes a specific educational intervention program implemented through “Action Research”. The training program consisted of 12 (2-hrs) sessions, it has been implemented in the five participating countries, and all participating teachers and their students were administered a pre- and post-test (still being analyzed). This paper focuses and presents the pillars of the training program as well as examples of the intervention program content and tools. Keywords: metacognition, theory-of-mind, epistemic beliefs, teachers’ training program, intervention

Developing History-Related Epistemic Beliefs of Undergraduates in History

IntroductionGiven the predominant psycholinguistic approach to language education, little is known about the epistemic beliefs of language teachers and how they shape the enactment of reformed language curricula. These beliefs are mostly researched in science education but less in language education. To fill this gap, we investigated the epistemic beliefs of Arabic-speaking teachers of English in Israel and how they converge with or diverge from the epistemic underpinnings of the national English curriculum.MethodsWe collected data from 44 teachers primarily via personal and group interviews in 11 school settings. We also observed staff meetings and collected artifacts from teachers. We asked how teachers understand the notion of academic literacy, and how their understanding of literacy (mis)aligns with the epistemic orientation of the English curriculum in Israel. We used interpretative phenomenological analysis to uncover teachers’ implicit epistemic beliefs by probing into their interpretations of the curriculum’s teaching goals and learning principles.ResultsThematic analysis revealed three major misalignments relating to the function of literacy in the lives of language learners, the features of literacy, and the fields of responsibility of teachers and learners. These misalignments were found even though teachers drew on the same terminology of the reformed curriculum when talking about their practice.ConclusionFindings indicate that teachers employ a different sense of literacy than intended in the curriculum. Theoretically, insights about teachers’ epistemic beliefs, which are mostly implicit, helped us explain the explicit pedagogical and instructional beliefs that are widely held by language teachers across language teaching contexts. Practically, the study suggests that policymakers, curriculum designers, and teacher educators need to be aware of the implicit epistemic beliefs of language teachers and the way these beliefs can shape how teachers enact language reforms.

Abstract Previous studies have applied a variable-centered approach to conduct extensive investigations of preservice early childhood teachers’ (PECTs’) epistemic beliefs in the domain of mathematics (application-related beliefs, process-related beliefs, static orientation), enjoyment of mathematics, mathematics anxiety, mathematical content knowledge, and mathematics pedagogical content knowledge. However, person-centered approaches, which have been fruitfully applied to other constructs and domains concerning pre- and inservice teachers, have not yet been applied to the aforementioned constructs. We addressed this research gap by investigating relationships between mathematics-related beliefs, emotions, and knowledge in terms of the well-established control-value theory in combination with a mixture distribution path analysis. About 1,851 PECTs took part in the study. Participants worked on tests and questionnaires during regular class time in teacher education. The results yielded two latent classes with structural differences in the coefficients of the path model, which we termed the application and static learning classes. In Class 1, higher levels of application-related beliefs were in line with lower levels of anxiety and higher levels of knowledge. In Class 2, higher levels of static orientation were in line with lower levels of enjoyment and higher levels of anxiety and knowledge. These novel results indicate two pathways for learning, with implications for research and practice. For research, the results are interesting with regard to static orientation and show the need for further research. For practice, they indicate the need to respect individual differences even during teacher education.

ABSTRACT Grounded in theory that psychological well-being predicts academic well-being, this cross-sectional study surveyed 84 students at Indonesian and Malaysian universities. Validated self-report scales assessed psychological well-being, academic well-being, mindfulness, and epistemic beliefs. Regression revealed psychological well-being explained 55.6 % of variance in academic well-being (β = 0.749, p < .001). Mindfulness correlated moderately with psychological well-being (β = 0.59, p < .001), whereas overall epistemic beliefs were nonsignificant; however, Certain Knowledge and Simple Knowledge showed small yet significant associations (β = 0.21, p = .041). Hayes PROCESS mediation confirmed a strong direct relationship between psychological and academic well-being (β = 0.942, p < .001). Indirect pathways through mindfulness (β = –0.104, 95 % CI [−0.220, 0.013]) or epistemic beliefs (β = 0.000, 95 % CI [−0.022, 0.026]) were minimal. The correlational pattern suggests cultivating present-moment awareness and nuanced views of knowledge may bolster psychological health and, consequently, academic adjustment.

ABSTRACT Background In the context of geopolitical uncertainty and knowledge fragmentation, this study examines how Estonian pupils in Grades 9 and 11 perceive the nature of historical knowledge and what makes history learning meaningful to them. Purpose of the study To analyze how pupils’ epistemic beliefs and learning experiences correlate with teachers’ instructional practices, and whether age, gender, and socioeconomic background are influential in this regard. Methodology The study was part of an 18-month participatory action research project. Data were collected from 194 pupils and linked to a typology of their teachers’ pedagogical approaches. The findings Teachers who facilitated pupils’ historical thinking, metacognitive skills, and critical reflection on prior knowledge in a democratic classroom climate were likely to foster meaningful learning experiences. However, there was no significant correlation between teaching practices and pupils’ epistemic beliefs. Conclusions and implications The fact that meaningful history learning experiences were predominantly observed in classes where teachers supported pupils' metacognitive skills, used dialogic teaching methods, and encouraged active participation in learning, underscores the necessity of engagement with content both within and beyond the classroom. Furthermore, it emphasizes the importance of integrating multiple knowledge systems into history education to foster a reflective and complex historical understanding.

Belief in climate change conspiracy theories (CCCT) can undermine support for measures against climate change. In two studies, we therefore aim to gain a clearer understanding of the factors that contribute to CCCT. A significant factor associated with CCCT is distrust in science, which is also correlated with epistemic beliefs (EBs) (e.g., beliefs are about the nature of knowledge and the process of knowing). EBs influence how individuals respond to knowledge claims, address contradictory evidence, and integrate new information. We hypothesize that EBs are linked to belief in CCCT via distrust in science. To test this hypothesis, we conducted one correlational study and one experimental study (n = 404 and n = 104, both pre-registered). Study 1 found that participants were more likely to endorse climate-related conspiracy beliefs if they viewed climate knowledge as tentative, relied on intuition to understand climate change, and had weaker beliefs in the interconnectedness of climate knowledge and its reliance on experts and scientific sources. As anticipated, distrust in climate science significantly mediated the relationships between the EBs subscales and belief in CCCT. Additionally, political ideology moderated the effect of believing knowledge originates from experts and science on distrust in climate science - this effect was pronounced among participants identifying with the political center while being weaker among left-wing participants. In Study 2, we were unable to establish a causal relationship between certainty beliefs and belief in CCCT. In conclusion, we suggest that educational initiatives aimed at fostering EBs may reduce science distrust and conspiracy beliefs.

Recent studies have conceptualized ChatGPT as an epistemic authority; however, no research has yet examined how epistemic beliefs and metacognitive accuracy affect students' actual use of ChatGPT‐generated content, which often contains factual inaccuracies. Therefore, the present experimental study aimed to examine how university students integrate correct and incorrect information from expert‐written and ChatGPT‐generated articles when writing independently (N = 49) or with ChatGPT assistance (N = 49). Students working with ChatGPT‐4o integrated more correct information from both expert‐written (d = 0.64) and ChatGPT‐generated articles (d = 0.95), but ChatGPT‐assisted writing did not affect the amount of incorrect information sourced from the ChatGPT‐generated article. Regardless of the condition, hierarchical regressions revealed that lower metacognitive bias was moderately associated with increased inclusion of correct information from the expert‐written article (R2 = 12%). Conversely, a higher metacognitive bias (R2 = 10%) and epistemic beliefs (R2 = 12%) were moderately related to the inclusion of incorrect information from ChatGPT‐generated articles. These findings suggest that while ChatGPT assistance enhances the integration of correct human‐ and AI‐generated content, metacognitive skills remain essential to mitigate the risks of incorporating incorrect AI‐generated information. Practitioner notesWhat is already known about this topic Generative AI tools, such as ChatGPT, are increasingly regarded as epistemic authorities due to their authoritative tone and human‐like interaction. ChatGPT has demonstrated utility in providing correct information and improving productivity in educational and professional contexts, but it is also prone to inaccuracies, hallucinations and misleading content. Students' epistemic beliefs and metacognitive skills predict their ability to critically evaluate and integrate conflicting information from multiple resources, particularly when searching for information on the Internet. What this paper adds This study experimentally examines how students integrate correct and incorrect information from expert‐written and ChatGPT‐generated articles when writing independently or with ChatGPT's assistance. The findings show that ChatGPT assistance improves the inclusion of correct information but does not significantly reduce or increase the inclusion of incorrect ChatGPT‐generated content. Metacognitive accuracy and epistemic beliefs are key factors in mitigating the inclusion of incorrect information, regardless of whether students work independently or with ChatGPT. Implications for practice and/or policy Generative AI tools can outperform human experts in specific scenarios, requiring little to no evaluation. However, in situations where these tools generate misleading or incorrect content, the application of metacognitive skills and epistemic beliefs becomes essential to discern reliable information and avoid the integration of errors. Educational interventions should include activities requiring justification of knowledge, evaluation of resources and reflection upon human‐generated and AI‐generated texts to enhance students' ability to discern accurate from inaccurate information. Interventions focused on metacognitive accuracy and epistemic awareness can empower individuals to critically evaluate and differentiate between reliable and erroneous information, enhancing their recognition of misinformation.

This commentary reviews the five papers featured in this special issue, which foster a cross-disciplinary discussion on momentary engagement (ME). The papers represent diverse theoretical perspectives and address key research questions central to understanding students’ ME. The commentary approaches each paper through the lens of conceptual change, focusing on the learning processes needed when the information to be acquired is inconsistent with the existing theoretical frameworks. Methodological challenges in measuring ME within the context of conceptual change are explored, moving beyond traditional acquisition type of learning. The variation in quality and depth of momentary engagement is also discussed, distinguishing between different modes of active learning and engagement. Further attention is given to the complex, dual role of factors such as learner characteristics, prior knowledge, and epistemic beliefs in shaping ME, especially in domains requiring radical reorganization of initial beliefs. Finally, the potential for constructing an integrated model of ME is discussed, in alignment with the holistic approach to ME implied by the papers in this issue. The author emphasizes the importance of studying ME’s interconnected components within both the individual and the context, employing varied methodologies and accounting for different learning types. The implications of integrating different theoretical frameworks are discussed in relation to developing interventions aimed at enhancing students’ ME in the classroom context.

It is important for prospective elementary school teachers to know their epistemic beliefs because this is related to beliefs about how to teach in schools and how learning should be done, which are called pedagogical beliefs. This study aims to investigate whether epistemic beliefs can predict the pedagogical beliefs of prospective elementary school students. This research method used a quantitative method with 179 elementary school teacher education students as research subjects. The data obtained were analyzed using a linear regression test. The results of this study indicate that students' epistemic beliefs can predict students' pedagogical beliefs, especially in terms of social studies learning concepts in elementary schools.

Educational psychology course and the epistemic beliefs of prospective teachers play a role in forming a competent teacher. While there is substantial literature exploring teachers’ epistemic belief, its interplay with course studies by prospective English teacher remains unclear. This research provides a novel understanding on the interplay of epistemic beliefs with educational psychology course, and achievement of prospective English teacher by integrating an explanatory sequential mixed methods design. Using quantitative survey to collect GPA (Grade Average Points), epistemic beliefs and perception of educational psychology, this study involve 102 EFL students at Brawijaya University through convenience sampling. Descriptive statistical and correlation analysis conducted in the first stage reveal their epistemic was moderate and their perception was high, and only between their epistemic beliefs and perception was found a strong correlation. Through confirming or disconfirming sampling, representative from the first stage participated in qualitative phase for semi-structured interview, resulting in justification of their positive perception and confirmation of the interconnection with epistemic beliefs. Findings imply there is a need to comprise aspects of high epistemic beliefs to have a more positive educational psychology course, that encourage adequate developmental feedback, active learning environments, inclusive advocacy, and student self-efficacy.. The high interest in unlisted content in the current module implies the need for material relevance of the course. The implication is for EFL teacher education to reconsider the content in educational psychology with students’ epistemic beliefs in order to equip English education students to become effective teachers.