Scientific Epistemological Beliefs Research Articles

Exploration of middle school students’ scientific epistemological beliefs and their engagement in argumentation

Epistemological beliefs and argumentation are two important themes in science education, but research on the relationship between them is scarce. We treated epistemological beliefs in our study considering the cognitivist view of personal epistemology and included the justification, source, certainty, and development dimensions. We examined students’ engagement in argumentation by considering expositional comments, oppositional comments, information seeking, and co-construction of knowledge. Sixth-grade students participated in this study. We measured the students’ epistemological beliefs quantitatively before and after the argumentation activity to reveal any changes in their epistemological beliefs. We then used qualitative data to reveal how the students engaged in argumentation during whole-class discussions. Finally, we proposed possible connections between students’ epistemological beliefs and their engagement in argumentation. MANOVA results showed no significant change in students’ epistemological beliefs. Qualitative analyses revealed that students mainly used expositional comments during argumentation. Our findings suggested that the use of expositional comments can support the justification dimension of epistemological beliefs, but overuse of exposition can hinder other epistemological beliefs. Oppositional comments can feed the certainty and development dimensions of epistemological beliefs. Information-seeking can promote both the justification and source dimensions of epistemological beliefs. Finally, the use of co-construction of knowledge can improve both the justification and development dimensions of epistemological beliefs. The discussion and implication part addresses students’ epistemological beliefs, engagement in argumentation, and the connection between epistemological beliefs and argumentation.

The relationship between the epistemological beliefs, science learning approaches and scientific inquiry skills: a path analysis

ABSTRACT Research has shown significant relationships between students’ epistemological beliefs and their approaches to learning. This study aimed to investigate the relationships between the scientific epistemological beliefs, science learning approaches, and the scientific inquiry skills of undergraduate students who took science courses by expanding the findings of the studies in the literature. Participants were 437 undergraduate students studying in the departments of science courses in Turkey. The participants responded to the Epistemological Beliefs Scale, the Learning Approach Questionnaire, and the Scientific Inquiry Scale. The epistemological beliefs scale consisted of three dimensions: learning depends on effort, learning depends on skills, and a single truth. The learning approaches scale consisted of two dimensions: deep and surface approaches. Path analysis results showed that there are some important relationships between scientific epistemological beliefs and science learning approaches and scientific inquiry skills. Learning depending on an effort positively predicted scientific inquiry and a deep learning approach. Beliefs about the justification of scientific knowledge seemed to positively contribute to deep strategies. Learning depending on the skills was negatively predicted by scientific inquiry. The single truth was positively associated with the surface learning approach.

Investigation of the Effects of Pre-Service Teachers' Socio-Economic Statuses and Personality Traits on Their Motivations

Although self-regulated learning (SRL) in education is more often associated with student learning, recently it has been emphasized that teachers should be self-regulated individuals, as well. In this study focusing on motivation, one of the sub-dimensions of SRL, predictive power of socio-economic statuses and personality traits of pre-service teachers on their motivations was determined with hierarchical regression analysis. This study was conducted with survey model, which is one of the quantitative research methods. The study enrolled 712 pre-service teachers studying at various departments of the Faculty of Education in a state university in Ankara, Türkiye. The Big Five Inventory, was used to determine the personality traits of pre-service teachers, while the Socio-economic Status Form was used to determine their socio-economic status. The General Self-Efficacy Scale, 2x2 Achievement Goal Orientations Scale, Success/Failure Attributions Scale, and Scientific Epistemological Beliefs Survey were used to determine the motivation of pre-service teachers. The results of hierarchical regression analysis, which was conducted with the data obtained in the study, showed low-level significant effects of socio-economic status on some sub-dimensions of motivation. However, when personality traits were included in the analysis, it was found out that they have higher level significant effects on all sub-dimensions of motivation. In particular, the findings showed that motivation had a significant effect on self-efficacy and goal orientation sub-dimensions. The findings of the study are likely to provide useful information about the effect of upbringing environments of pre-service teachers, which shape their personality traits and personalities, on their motivations.

The Effect of Argumentation on Seventh Grade Students' Scientific Epistemological Beliefs and 21st Century Skills

The aim of this study is to examine the effect of argumentation over current teaching approach on scientific epistemological beliefs and 21st century skills of seventh grade students. This is a quasi-experimental design with pre-test and post-test control group. The sample of the study was composed of 79 seventh grade students (38 experimental; 41 control group) from two intact classes of an urban middle school instructed with the same teacher. The teaching methods were randomly assigned to the classes. The experimental group treated with argumentation, the control group treated with the current teaching approach without argumentation. As data collection tools; Scientific Epistemological Beliefs Scale and 21st century skills scale were used. Multivariance Analysis of Variance (MANOVA) was used for data analysis. The results showed that argumentation and the current teaching approach had a similar effect on students’ scientific epistemological beliefs and 21st century skills.

Scientific epistemological beliefs and engagement of students

The main objective of this study was to determine which domain of scientific epistemological belief best influences engagement of students. The respondents of the study were the 126 Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) students from a certain school in Toril for school year 2018 -2019 who were determined using the universal sampling method. Thus, all STEM students were chosen as respondents of this study. A quantitative non-experimental employing the correlational technique was utilized in this study. An adapted questionnaire was modified to contextualize in the local setting and was used in gathering the data. Mean, Pearson-r and Regression were the statistical tools employed in analyzing and interpreting the data. Results revealed that scientific epistemological beliefs and engagement of students were rated high. Further analysis revealed that a significant relationship exists between the two variables and scientific epistemological beliefs significantly influence engagement of students. Among the indicators of scientific epistemological beliefs, verification and improvement dimensions significantly influenced student engagement in their singular capacities but, the best influence of engagement of students was the verification dimension.

Extending Technology Acceptance Model with Scientific Epistemological and Science Teaching Efficacy Beliefs: A Study with Preservice Teachers

The technology acceptance model (TAM) is a widely used framework to investigate factors influencing technology use in education. TAM refers to a person’s technology-related attitudes and beliefs influencing intention to use and actual use of technology and seeks predictors of behaviors whether to accept or reject using technology. There are various external variables extended to TAM to increase the predictivity of the model and the generalizability of findings. However, what is not yet clear is the impact of teacher-related variables such as teaching efficacy and epistemological beliefs on teachers’ technology acceptance and behavioral intention. This study examined 710 preservice teachers’ technology acceptance using an extended-TAM with scientific epistemological and science teaching efficacy beliefs. Data were collected through a self-reported measurement tool. Structural equation modeling was used to analyze data. Results revealed that the research model explained 59% of the variance in behavioral intention, and perceived usefulness is the most prominent determinant of behavioral intention. The subdimension of scientific epistemological beliefs, justification, is the strongest determinant in influencing TAM constructs among the external variables (epistemological and science teaching efficacy beliefs). Science teaching efficacy beliefs had small effects on technology acceptance constructs. Recommendations were made based on the findings.

Quantitative Research on Gifted Students’ Scientific Epistemological Beliefs

This study explores the scientific epistemological beliefs of gifted students. It attempts to investigate gender, age and grade level-based differences in scientific epistemological beliefs. The study group comprised 120 gifted students (67 girls, 53 boys). To determine the scientific epistemological beliefs of these students, the Scientific Epistemological Beliefs Survey was employed. The results reveal that while the average scores of fifth and sixth-grade students were close to each other, the highest mean epistemological beliefs score was at the seventh and eighth-grade levels. Thus, there is a positive change in the scientific epistemological beliefs of gifted students who receive more science education. Statistically, the results showed that the difference between the epistemological beliefs scores of the female and male students was not statistically significant.

Flipped Classroom on Fifth Grades’ 21st Century Skills and Scientific Epistemological Beliefs

The aim of this study was to determine the effect of flipped classroom model on fifth grade students' 21st century skills and scientific epistemological beliefs. The sample of the study was consisted of 54 fifth grade students from a rural elementary school in Turkey. Quasi-experimental design with pre-test and post-test control group was used. As a data collection tool, “Scientific Epistemological Beliefs Scale” and “21st Century Learning Skills Scale” was used. For data analysis, independent t-test and dependent t-test were used. As a result of the study it was found that; at the beginning, there was no significant difference between the experimental and control group students’ pre-test scientific epistemological beliefs. After the implementation, there was no significant difference between the experimental and control group students’ post-test scientific epistemological beliefs mean scores. In addition, at the beginning of the study, there was no significant difference was found between experimental and control group students’ 21st century skills. After the implementation, there was no significant difference was found between experimental and control group students’ 21st century skills after the implementation.

EXPLORING THE EFFECTS ON FIFTH GRADERS’ CONCEPT ACHIEVEMENT AND SCIENTIFIC EPISTEMOLOGICAL BELIEFS: APPLYING THE PREDICTION-OBSERVATION-EXPLANATION INQUIRY-BASED LEARNING MODEL IN SCIENCE EDUCATION

The inquiry-based learning model can facilitate students’ understanding of scientific concepts. Scientific epistemological beliefs (SEBs) are related to students’ beliefs about the nature of the process of knowledge in science education. However, whether the “prediction-observation-explanation” (POE) inquiry-based learning model can facilitate fifth graders’ concept achievement and SEBs in science education has not been extensively studied. This study selected the unit of Light Refraction to explore the effects of POE learning on fifth graders’ science concept achievement and SEBs. The Light Refraction Test and Scientific Epistemological Beliefs measurement were applied to the two groups prior to and following the experiment. The experimental group (N=86) participated in POE inquiry-based learning, whereas the control group (N=88) participated without POE inquiry-based learning. The results revealed a significant difference between the two groups, with the experimental group learners performing better than the control group in the concept achievement. In addition, the results showed better positive effects of POE on experimental group learners’ SEBs in the scales of Source and Certainty. Findings suggested that learners achieved better concept achievements and SEBs with the approach of POE inquiry-based learning, which pointed to certain implications for inquiry-based teaching, as well as in education of future science instructors. Keywords: inquiry-based learning model, light refraction, prediction-observation-explanation, science education, scientific epistemological beliefs

Üniversite Öğrencilerinin Epistemolojik İnançlarına Göre Bilimin Doğasına Yönelik Görüşlerinin İncelenmesi

This study aims to examine the scientific epistemological beliefs of university students and to analyze their views on the nature of science on the basis of these beliefs. A total of 161 university students from a public university participated voluntarily in the study. The Scientific Epistemological Beliefs Survey and The Nature of Science View Scale (NOSVS) were used as the data collection tools. The data analysis revealed that 88.2% of the students hold a traditional conception of science and 11.8% of them have a non-traditional conception of science. Also, the analysis of their nature of science views showed that 49.7% of them have a contemporary, while 50.3% have a transitional view of the nature of science. In addition, it was found that factor and total scores of students' nature of science views have a statically significant difference, depending on their traditional and non-traditional conception of science. This finding can be interpreted as a significant relationship between scientific epistemological beliefs and views about the nature of science.

Modeling the Relations Among Argumentativeness, Epistemological Beliefs and Self-Regulation Skills

This study was conducted to examine the structural relationships among pre-service science teachers' scientific epistemological beliefs, self-regulation skills, and their disposition towards participating in argumentation. For this purpose, structural equation modeling (SEM) was applied in the study in which 229 pre-service science teachers participated. According to the results, development dimension of epistemological belief predicted argument approach positively, while source and certainty dimensions predicted argument avoidance negatively. All dimensions of epistemological beliefs, except for the certainty dimension, predicted self-regulation skills positively. When the relationship between self-regulation skills and argumentativeness was examined, it was revealed that pre-service science teachers' self-regulation skills such as asking questions and goal setting positively predicted participation in argumentation. According to the findings, it can be concluded that demonstrating the relationship between self-regulation and argumentativeness would make a significant contribution to the literature.

Saudi Arabian secondary school students’ views of the nature of science and epistemological beliefs: gendered differences

ABSTRACT Background Understanding students’ views of the nature of science (NOS) has become one of the most discussed topics of science education in Saudi Arabia. Insights therein could inform curricular inform, preservice, and inservice teacher education and the national discourse around science in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). Purpose This study examined Saudi secondary school students’ views of the NOS and their epistemological beliefs by gender. Sample The convenience sample comprised 592 Saudi male (66%) and female (44%) grade 10–12 students from boys’ and girls’ schools (N = 8) in one major city in the KSA’s Eastern Province. Design and Methods A quantitative research design entailed the administration of two self-report instruments in winter 2018: Scientific Epistemological Views (SEVs) instrument (measured NOS) and the Epistemological Belief Inventory (EBI). Data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. Results Gendered profiles of Saudi secondary students’ views of the NOS and epistemological beliefs were developed. Female students’ NOS mean scores were significantly higher than males. Male students presented more naive epistemological beliefs than females. All respondents scored highest on the role of Social Negotiation when creating scientific knowledge revealing it as a key element of their scientific epistemological beliefs. All respondents scored highest on Omniscient Authority intimating they believed that scientific knowledge comes from authority. For all respondents, Cultural Impacts was a significant predictor of more sophisticated epistemological beliefs. Conclusions The NOS and epistemological beliefs of Saudi secondary students were affected by gendered differences, religious Islamic teachings, and culture. These insights are important, because Saudi students’ understandings of NOS affect their perceptions of science and how it can become part of their epistemological belief system. Religious beliefs, culture, and gender must be considered when designing Saudi science curricula and preservice and inservice teacher education.

An Investigation of Epistemological Beliefs of Physics Teachers According to Different Variables

Epistemological beliefs adopted by individuals determine their knowledge, learning and teaching orientations. For this reason, the purpose of this research is to study physics teachers’ belief levels, as well as the questions about what effect gender, professional experience, and educational background variables have on these levels. Causal-comparative model was used to study these variables. Participants were 205 physics teachers consisting of 106 women and 99 men who work in the Central Anatolia Region of Turkey. All of the data was collected with the Scientific Epistemological Beliefs Scale developed by Conley, Pintrich, Vekiri & Harrison (2004). This scale was adapted into Turkish by Özkan (2008). The data was analyzed using parametric tests. Ultimately, findings indicated that physics teachers had sophisticated epistemological beliefs. In addition, there was no statistically significant difference between female and male teachers in terms of beliefs. Educational background variable was found not to have any effect on epistemological beliefs of physics teachers. In regards to professional experience variable, teachers with less experience had more sophisticated epistemological beliefs about the source of knowledge, certainty of knowledge and justification of knowledge.

Psychological modeling of preservice science teachers’ argumentativeness, achievement goals, and epistemological beliefs: a mixed design

This study was conducted to investigate the relationships among Turkish preservice science teachers’ argumentativeness, epistemological beliefs, and achievement goals, as well as the reasons for coherencies and incoherencies among these variables. A sequential explanatory research design was applied within the 2 following studies. In Study I, the data from 930 preservice science teachers were investigated with structural equation modeling analysis. This analysis presented evidence regarding the relationships among the variables of the study. For example, preservice science teachers’ scientific epistemological beliefs significantly predicted their argumentativeness and goal orientations. In Study II, 2 students were selected for each argument approach and argument avoidance cases. Data were collected through semistructured interviews and analyzed via a content analysis. The results of this study showed that participants’ self-construal impacted the relationships among their argumentativeness, goal orientations and scientific epistemological beliefs. An investigation of a more comprehensive belief system model including preservice science teachers’ self-construal is suggested considering the overall results.

Middle School Students’ Scientific Epistemological Beliefs, Achievements in Science and Intellectual Risk-Taking

The paper reports about an empirical study investigating the relationship between scientific epistemological beliefs, intellectual risk-taking in science learning and science achievement of middle school students via path analysis. The sample was composed of 2119 middle school students enrolled in public schools. Nearly half of the students (50.9%) were female. ‘Personal Information Form’, ‘Scientific Epistemological Beliefs Scale’, ‘Intellectual Risk-Taking Scale’ and ‘Science Achievement Test’ were used in data collection. During the data analysis of the relationship between scientific epistemological beliefs, intellectual risk-taking and science achievement, Path diagrams and analysis were used. Results of the analyses showed that ‘certainty’, ‘improvement’ and ‘verification’ aspects of scientific epistemological beliefs positively predicted science achievement while the ‘source’ aspect predicted negatively science achievement. Furthermore, scientific epistemological beliefs predicted significantly intellectual risk-taking. Moreover, it was found that intellectual risk-taking levels of the students positively predicted achievements in science. In conclusion, it was seen that there was a causal relationship between scientific epistemological beliefs, intellectual risk-taking and science achievement of middle school students.

Examination of the Relationship Between Prospective Social Studies Teachers Epistemological Beliefs and Their Attitudes Towards Learning

This study was carried out to determine relationship between prospective teachers (studying at department of social studies teaching)’ attitudes towards learning and their scientific epistemological beliefs. The study was conducted with 213 prospective (preservice) social studies teachers who were studying at Faculty of Education of a public university during 2019-2020 Academic year. Mixed method was employed in the study. Attitude scale towards learning and epistemological belief scale were used in obtaining quantitative data; and qualitative ones (data) were collected by interview form. Analysis of quantitative data was carried out by SPSS 22 statistical package program. Content analysis was applied to qualitative data, obtained as a result of the interview with 25 prospective teachers. According to findings, obtained from the study, prospective teachers’ attitudes towards learning and epistemological beliefs, are at high level and medium-level, respectively. It was found to be a significant relationship between attitude towards learning and epistemological belief.

Examination of the Relationship Between Prospective Social Studies Teachers Epistemological Beliefs and Their Attitudes Towards Learning

This study was carried out to determine relationship between prospective teachers (studying at department of social studies teaching)’ attitudes towards learning and their scientific epistemological beliefs. The study was conducted with 213 prospective (preservice) social studies teachers who were studying at Faculty of Education of a public university during 2019-2020 Academic year. Mixed method was employed in the study. Attitude scale towards learning and epistemological belief scale were used in obtaining quantitative data; and qualitative ones (data) were collected by interview form. Analysis of quantitative data was carried out by SPSS 22 statistical package program. Content analysis was applied to qualitative data, obtained as a result of the interview with 25 prospective teachers. According to findings, obtained from the study, prospective teachers’ attitudes towards learning and epistemological beliefs, are at high level and medium-level, respectively. It was found to be a significant relationship between attitude towards learning and epistemological belief.

Middle School 6th and 7th Graders’ Level of Scientific Epistemological Beliefs

Bilgi nedir? Nasıl oluşturulur? gibi bu tür sorularla ilgilenen felsefe dalı epistemolojidir. Ortaokul öğrencileri açısından bakıldığında ise öğrencilerin bilimsel bilgiye ilişkin görüşlerinin ne olduğu sorusu önem kazanmaktadır. Bu da bilimsel epistemolojik inançlar olarak ifade edilmektedir. Bilimsel epistemolojik inançlar, bilimin ve geçerli-güvenilir bilimsel bilginin ne olduğu, nasıl üretildiği ve nasıl paylaşıldığı gibi konularda bireylerin felsefi anlayışlarını yansıtmaktadır. Bu çalışmanın amacı ortaokul 6 ve 7. sınıf öğrencilerinin Bilimsel Epistemolojik İnançlarını belirlemektir. Muğla İl Merkezindeki iki ortaokulda öğrenim görmekte olan 285 öğrenci araştırmanın örneklem grubunu oluşturmaktadır. Veri toplama aracı olarak "Bilimsel Epistemolojik İnançlar Ölçeği kullanılmıştır. Araştırma kapsamında 6 ve 7. sınıf öğrencilerinin hem Bilimsel Epistemolojik İnançlarının hem de Bilimsel Epistemolojik İnançları oluşturan alt boyutlarının cinsiyet, sınıf düzeyi ve 1. dönem fen bilimleri dersi karne notu değişkenlerine göre nasıl farklılık oluşturduğu sınanmıştır. Elde edilen bulgulara göre kız öğrencilerinin erkek öğrencilere göre, 6. sınıf öğrencilerinin ise 7. sınıf öğrencilerine göre Bilimsel Epistemolojik İnançları daha yüksek bulunmuştur.

Analysis of Scientific Epistemological Beliefs and STEM Attitudes of The Gifted Students

The aim of this study is to analyze the relationship between STEM attitudes and epistemological beliefs of gifted students. For this purpose, the level of epistemological beliefs and attitudes towards STEM fields has been examined in the study. Also, some examinations have been made in order to find out whether the dimensions of STEM attitude ‘’science, mathematics, engineering-technology, 21st century skills’’ and epistemological belief differ from each other within the dimensions of authority and accuracy, information generation, source of information, reasoning and variance of information. The sample of the study consists of totally 105 gifted students who have attended in two different science and art centers .In this study; descriptive scanning model, which is one of the quantitative research methods, and non-parametric tests have been used for the analysis of the data obtained. As a result of the study, it has been observed that students with superior intelligence have a scientific epistemological belief at an advanced (contemporary) level of information generation, reasoning and variance of information, while they have a traditional epistemological belief in the sub-dimensions of authority-accuracy and source of information, As for the STEM attitudes, it has been found out that they have low averages in the dimensions of math and science.

Predicting Academic Achievement with Machine Learning Algorithms

Education systems produce a large number of valuable data for all stakeholders. The processing of these educational data and making studies on the future of education based on the data reveal highly meaningful results. In this study, an insight was tried to be developed on the educational data collected from ninth-grade students by using data mining methods. The data contains demographic information about students and their families, studying routines, behaviours of attending learning activities, and their epistemological beliefs about science. Thus, this research aimed to solve a classification problem, two-class (successful or unsuccessful according to the exam result) was tried to be estimated from the collected data. In the study, the prediction accuracy of the supervised classification algorithms were compared and it was defined which variables were effective in the formation of classes. When the prediction accuracy of machine learning algorithms was compared, the findings indicated that the Neural Network algorithm (98.6%) had the highest score. The information gain coefficient of the variables was examined to determine the factors affecting the prediction accuracy. It was revealed that demographic variables of the family, scientific epistemological beliefs of the student, study routines and attitudes towards some courses affected the classification. It can be concluded that there was a relationship between these variables and academic success. Studies on these variables will support students' academic success.