Stability Of Knowledge Research Articles

At the roots of Allport’s “prejudice-prone personality”: The impact of need for cognitive closure on prejudice towards different outgroups and the mediating role of binding moral foundations

In line with the seminal ideas on the “prejudice-prone personality” provided by Allport (1954) in the book The Nature of Prejudice, various studies have highlighted the association between individuals’ high need for cognitive closure (NCC) and prejudice towards various outgroups. Nonetheless, evidence on the invariance of individuals’ prejudice towards different outgroups is still missing. Study 1 and Study 2 aimed to provide evidence that individuals with high NCC display similar levels of prejudice towards different outgroups (i.e., people of a different race; people of a different religion; immigrants; people who speak a different language; people with a different sexual orientation), expressed in terms of desired social distance. Besides this, and based on the “group-centrism hypothesis” positing the role of groups as sources of epistemic certainty and stability of knowledge, Study 2 tackled the process underlying the relation between NCC and invariance of prejudice towards different outgroups by testing the mediational role of binding moral foundations. Evidence from both studies supported the hypothesis that individuals with high NCC display prejudice towards different outgroups to the same extent and that binding moral foundations mediate this relationship. Implications of these findings with reference to interventions aimed to hinder prejudice towards outgroups will be discussed.

Iterative Drawing Reveals Diversity and Change in Student Thinking About Evolution

One theoretical framework for learning is that knowledge exists in pieces. Understanding emerges by developing a coherent and stable integration of multiple ideas. When learning gains are evaluated iteratively, over time, it is clear that the mental constructs representing key ideas are dynamic. Here we describe an assessment framework that enables estimation of the dynamic nature of mental constructs as students make gains towards coherency of knowledge and understanding. The framework emphasizes the value of iterative assessment combined with multivariate methods borrowed from ecology for revealing and following gains in student thinking. We applied our framework for monitoring and describing student gains in their abilities to visualize and describe the process of evolution. Our approach was observational. We evaluated 276 drawings and accompanying text-based descriptions of evolution generated by 102 students by implementing the same open-ended assessment question four times in two sections of an upper division evolutionary biology course during spring 2021. Based on a binary rubric of 10 key ideas, students showed evidence of gains and losses of key ideas over time, and their learning trajectories were diverse and dynamic. Our findings revealed students take a multitude of pathways to concept mastery and that they struggled to succinctly construct and communicate comprehensive evolutionary models. Based on our study, we recommend using iterative free-response assessment with an explicit rubric and multivariate non-metric dimensional scale data visualization for revealing student thinking and guiding data-driven revision of curriculum, teaching strategies, and assessment for achieving greater coherency and stability of knowledge.

Problem-solving in biology vs. engineering: What can engineering educators learn from biology educators

Problem-solving (PS) is a universal skill inherent to nearly all disciplines. This study’s objective is to explore the types of PS assessments that engineering and biology undergraduate students are exposed to and what PS approaches they use to complete these assessments. Comparing PS assessments and approaches between the two disciplines will help reveal important lessons that engineering educators can apply when immersing their undergraduate students into PS. Qualitative data was obtained from focus groups with students in engineering (n = 6), and biology (n = 5). Notable differences were found across disciplines, with students mentioning different skill sets pertinent to PS, assessment features, and PS strategies. A posteriori analysis of students’ focus group responses revealed that an epistemic lens is an appropriate framework for interpreting students’ response. Schommer’s epistemic dimensions of knowledge (i.e., structure and stability of knowledge) are used to classify results and indicate that biology students are frequently exposed to the complex structure of knowledge through multi-factorial systems whereas engineering students are typically exposed to the instability of knowledge, particularly through design projects. Other interesting observations related to biology students’ tendency to engage in discussion as a helpful study approach, while engineering students may view group discourse as a hindrance. Our results can inform engineering educators of how they can incorporate PS practices used by biology educators into their classrooms to promote better learning outcomes and encourage deeper learning approaches in students, while cultivating more mature epistemic beliefs.

The Stability of Knowledge

Abstract Socrates’ official answer to Meno’s question about the value of knowledge, near the end of Plato’s Meno, is that knowledge is stable. I argue that both the answer and the question have been widely misunderstood. The question has been taken to be why knowing at a time is better than true belief at that time, and Socrates’ answer has been taken to point to the greater persistence of knowledge over time. I argue instead that, given the broader context of the question and answer in the Meno, together with what Plato has to say about stability elsewhere, Meno’s question is better understood as a more difficult question – and Socrates’ answer as a good solution to it. This also involves arguing that Socrates’ analogy to the statues of Daedalus is not intended as the simple illustration of Socrates’ official answer for which commentators have taken it.

The Evolutionary Dimension of Scientific Progress

ABSTRACT This article considers problems that the biologically based general theory of evolution is facing today when it is extrapolated to the problem of scientific progress. It investigates how scientific theories can be interpreted as replacing each other, about what the external environment of scientific communication is, what institutions are responsible for the selection of the best theories, and the extent to which the autonomous mechanisms of scientific evolution are differentiated, namely, the mechanisms of random variation, natural selection, and inheritance. The authors deploy David Hull’s concept of causal individuation and Stephen Gould’s concept of semantic individuation, identifying the possibilities of reconciliation and synthesis of these evolutionary approaches. The authors use ‘a complex multidimensional environment of scientific communication’, formed by the social, factual, and time dimensions of scientific communication. This concept ‘removes’ the distinction between local and global optima and, consequently, eliminates the difference between problem-solving and semantic understandings of scientific progress. It concludes that understanding the scientist’s consciousness as a ‘case-sorting machine’ eliminates the apparent inconsistency of the evolutionary metaphor and ‘saves the evolutionary analogy’, substantiating the independence of the mechanism of random variations from the mechanisms of natural selection and stabilization of knowledge at the population level.

Teacher Educators’ Epistemological Beliefs and their Implications for Teacher Education

Research has consistently shown that teachers’ epistemological beliefs have a significant impact on their teaching and teacher effectiveness in the teaching- learning process. This study investigated epistemological beliefs (EBs) of teacher educators in higher education institutions and teacher education institutes in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP). The study aimed at identifying teacher-centered and learners’ centered EBs, examine the relationship of EBs and gender, find out the relationship of teachers’ qualification with the EBs of teacher education, and explore differences between the EBs of teacher educators of public universities and RITEs. Of the 212 teacher educators of the study population, the data were collected through stratified random sampling from 145 respondents. Epistemological beliefs questionnaire (EBQ) and a scale for demographics were used for gathering data from the research participants. Percentages, Mean, One way ANOVA and Pearson r was used for data analysis. Findings of the study show that a majority of the teacher educators believed that the structure of knowledge is simple, half of the teacher educators believed that knowledge is certain. Similarly, a majority of the teachers did not believe in authority as a source of knowledge and considered that the ability to learn is not innate. A majority of the respondents did not agree that learning is a quick process. There was no significant difference in the EBs of male and female teacher educators; there was no significant difference in the EBs of teachers from universities and RITES, except in the dimension of the stability of knowledge, wherein educators from RITEs have unsophisticated beliefs and there is no significant effect of experience on the epistemological beliefs of teacher educators.

Επιστημολογικές πεποιθήσεις: Διερεύνηση της δομής και της σχέσης τους με τη σχολική επίδοση σε μαθητές Λυκείου

The term epistemological beliefs (EBs) refers to the nature of students’ beliefsof knowledge and learning, these are related to the learning process through their effect on academic performance, motivation and self-regulation. Schommer has argued that the concept is multidimensional and consists of four distinct dimensions, the structure of knowledge, the stability of knowledge, the ability of learning and the speed of learning. The aim of the present study is to explore the structure of epistemic beliefs in a Greek sample, according to the theoretical model of Schommer, and how these beliefs are related to academic performance and other demographic and non demographic variables. The sample was composed by 470 students attending the three gradesof upper high school. The students responded to the Epistemological Belief Questionnaire (Schommer, 2000). The results showed that the structure of the epistemological beliefs is in accordance to Schommer’s theoretical model as regards the four dimensions and that the dimension structure of knowledge was the strongest factor. Low reliability rates lead to doubts regarding Schommer’s conceptual model. Moreover, it was found that ability of learning and stability of knowledge significantly contribute to the prediction ofacademic performance and that higher grades are related to sophisticated EBs. It was also found that girlshave more sophisticated EBs than boys in the speed of learning, and that older students have more sophisticated EBs in the stability of knowledge. Similar findings were found for the students of the theoretical study direction in terms of the stability and the structure of knowledge.

المعتقدات المعرفیة وتوجهات الأهداف وعلاقتهما بالتدفق النفسی لدى طلاب الجامعة. Cognitive beliefs, goal orientations and their relationship to the psychological flow of university students

هدفت هذه الدراسة لبحث علاقة المعتقدات المعرفیة وتوجهات الأهداف بالتدفق النفسی لدى طلبة الجامعة، ومعرفة مستوى المعتقدات المعرفیة وتوجهات الأهداف ومستوى والکشف عن الفروق بینهما التی قد تعزى لمتغیــــرات الجنس، والتخصـص الأکادیمی، لدى عینة تکونت من (366)طالبا وطالبة من طلبة جامعة أم القرى اختیروا بالطریقة العشوائیة.ولتحقیق أهداف الدراسة، استخدمت مقاییس المعتقدات المعرفیة، وتوجهات الأهداف والتدفق النفسی وباستخدام الأسالیب الإحصائیة المناسبة. أشارت النتائج إلى. امتلاک الطلبة مستوى متوسط فی المعتقدات المعرفیة. وامتلاکهم مستوى مرتفع فی الهدف، وامتلاکهم مستوى مرتفع فی التدفق النفسی، ووجدت فروق دالة إحصائیا بین المعتقدات المعرفیة والتدفق وکانت قیمة (ت) للفروق بین الذکور والإناث فی المعتقدات المعرفیة غیر دالة فی جمیع الأبعاد باستثناء الاعتقاد فی ثبات المعرفة فقد وجدت فروق لصالح الذکور، وکانت قیمة (ت) للفروق بین الذکور والإناث فی توجهات الأهداف غیر دالة فی بعد الاتقان أما أبعاد الأداء/ إقدام، والأداء/ إحجام فقد وجدت فروق لصالح الذکور، وکانت قیمة (ت) للفروق بین الذکور والإناث فی النفسی غیر دالة فی جمیع الأبعاد باستثناء بعد السیطرة حیث وجدت فروق لصالح الذکور، وکانت قیمة (ت) للفروق بین التخصصین العلمی والأدبی فی المعتقدات المعرفیة غیر دالة فی جمیع الأبعاد باستثناء بعد سرعة التعلم فقد وجدت فروق فی التخصص الأدبی، قیمة (ت) للفروق بین التخصصین العلمی والأدبی فی توجهات الأهداف غیر دالة فی جمیع الأبعاد باستثناء بعد الأداء/ إحجام حیث وجدت فروق لصالح التخصص الأدبی، وکانت قیمة (ت) للفروق بین التخصصین العلمی والأدبی فی النفسی غیر دالة فی جمیع الأبعاد باستثناء بعد تحدید الأهدافحیث وجدت فروق لصالح التخصص الأدبی، وأوصت الدراسة ببناء برامج تدریبیة لتطویر المعتقدات المعرفیة وتوجهات الأهداف والتدفق النفسی لدى الطلبة الجامعیین، وتوجیه أساتذة الجامعات لاعتماد طرائق تدریس تراعی المعتقدات المعرفیة وتوجهات الاهداف والتدفق النفسی لدى الطلبة. The study aimed to reveal the relationship of cognitive beliefs and the orientation of the goals to the psychological flow of university students, and to know the level of cognitive beliefs, goal orientations, level of psychological flow, and the difference between them according to sex, and academic specialization, the sample consisted of 366 students from the university students of um al-Qura university chosen in a random way. To scales of cognitive beliefs , goal orientations and psychological flow were used. The results indicated that students have an average level of cognitive beliefs. The order of cognitive beliefs was according to the level of consent, students have a high level of goal orientation, have a high level of psychological flow. There are statistically significant differences between cognitive beliefs and psychological flow. The value of (t) of differences between males and females in cognitive beliefs is not significant in all dimensions except belief in the stability of knowledge; there have been differences in favor of males. The value of (t) differences between males and females in goal orientations is not significant in the after-mastery, while the dimensions of performance/performance and performance/reluctance have found differences in favor of males. The value of (t) of differences between males and females in psychological flow is not significant in all dimensions except after control, differences have been found in favor of males. The value of (t) of the differences between scientific and literary specializations in cognitive beliefs is not functioning in all dimensions except after the speed of learning, there have been differences in the direction of literary specialization. The value of (t) differences between scientific and literary specializations in the direction of objectives is not indicative in all dimensions except after performance/reluctance, there have been differences in favor of literary specialization. The value (t) of the differences between the scientific and literary specializations in the psychological flow is not functioning in all dimensions except after the targeting has found differences in favor of literary specialization. The study recommended building training programs to develop cognitive. beliefs, goal orientations and psychological flow among university students, and directing university professors to adopt teaching methods that take into account cognitive beliefs, goal orientations and psychological flow among students.

Radio Free Europe and Cold War Truth Games: Trustworthy Messages Beyond the Great Divide

This article examines the crucial relationship between truth, trust and information in the context of the Cold War. In particular, it analyses the work of Radio Free Europe (RFE) and its various networks with the Polish underground. First, using a concept of Michel Foucault, it’s focus lies on Cold War ‘truth games’ and the circulation of underground inscriptions beyond the Iron Curtain. Second, defining mobility and superimposed inscriptions as main axioms of power, it analyses how ‘immutable mobiles’, as defined by Bruno Latour, allowed RFE to become not only a broadcaster but also a ‘centre of calculation’. Starting from the micro level and RFE’s paperwork, it elaborates on the mediation of information beyond the ‘great divide’, and the heterogeneous ‘allies’ and networks that had to be mobilised to guarantee the stability of knowledge during the Cold War. Finally, in accordance with Latour’s Actor-Network Theory (ANT), it shall be shown how RFE and the quest for ‘trustworthy agents’ supported the Polish underground behind the Iron Curtain. The flat ontology of the ANT and its focus on the networking capacity of humans and technology are particularly suitable for the analysis of transnational and (infra-)structural developments.

Seeking Convergent Evidence of Epistemological Beliefs: A Novel Survey

Introduction. This paper explains the development and testing of a novel paper-and-pencil measure designed to support inferences of five epistemological belief dimensions based on three forms of evidence. The three evidence types are anticipated to converge at a single theoretical level, permitting better-supported inferences than existing survey measures.Method. Data were collected from 12 university-level students from Hong Kong (19 to 34 years of age, M = 24.9, SD = 4.2). Participants completed a survey designed to capture three different sources of evidence of epistemological beliefs: epistemological judgments, intentions, and explicit beliefs. A theoretical level (i.e., dualism, relativism discovered, and contextual relativism) is assigned for each evidence type for each of five dimensions. The theoretical-level assignments across the three evidence sources are then analyzed for convergence.Results. Results indicate the three assigned theoretical levels for each dimension did not converge. Therefore, a comprehensive theoretical level per dimension could not be given. Instead, summative scores could to be determined based on average performance per dimension and for all dimensions combined. As a group, participants scored moderately on all dimensions combined, performing worst on the Organization of knowledge and Justification of knowledge dimensions and best on the Stability of knowledge dimension.Discussion and Conclusions. Three explanations for evidence type variability are discussed: a) the MESSEB is incorrectly eliciting the intended evidence, (b) the types of evidence are not appropriate for inferring the intended epistemological beliefs, and (c) epistemological beliefs are being measured as intended, but variation is genuine and typical. The ramifications of each explanation are discussed along with possibilities to address them in future research.

Collaborative epistemic discourse in classroom information-seeking tasks

The authors discuss the relationship between information seeking and epistemic beliefs – beliefs about the source, structure, complexity and stability of knowledge – in the context of collaborative information-seeking discourses. They further suggest that both information seeking, and epistemic cognition research agendas, have suffered from a lack of attention to how information seeking as a collaborative activity is mediated by talk between partners – an area they seek to address in this article. A small-scale observational study using sociocultural discourse analysis was conducted with eight 11-year-old pupils who carried out search engine tasks in small groups. Qualitative and quantitative analysis were performed on their discussions using sociocultural discourse analytic techniques. Extracts of the dialogue are reported, informed by concordance analysis and quantitative coding of dialogue duration. The authors find that: (1) discourse which could be characterised as ‘epistemic’ is identifiable in student talk; (2) it is possible to identify talk which is more or less productive; and (3) epistemic talk is associated with positive learning outcomes.

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The academic advantages of knowledge are often compromised when learners and teachers hold counterproductive epistemic beliefs, that is, personal convictions about the nature of knowledge and knowing. This study was an investigation of associations between prospective physical educators' game-specific epistemic beliefs (worldviews and beliefs in simple and stable knowledge and the need for cognition) and their preferred instructional model (Direct, Teaching Games for Understanding, or Sport Education) for teaching games in physical education. Following theoretical and applied instruction of each instructional model, 311 junior and senior undergraduate students enrolled in elective formal games classes at a mid-sized public university in south-central Canada completed several previously validated quantitative measures and one open-ended qualitative item. Those reporting a high need for cognition in games had higher contextualist and lower realist worldviews, along with more sophisticated beliefs about the simplicity and stability of knowledge. Participants most preferred a contextualist epistemic worldview and the TGfU instructional method, and a significant main effect difference was found in epistemic beliefs by preferred instructional model. Students' qualitative comments about each instructional model also reflect a collective awareness of the dynamics of the models and their potential advantages and disadvantages in particular learning settings. It appears useful to increase knowledge about the potential role of epistemic worldviews and beliefs on games teaching preferences in prospective physical educators, particularly if these educators are to foster availing epistemic beliefs in their students.

The Relationship between Epistemological Beliefs and Motivational Components of Self-Regulated Learning Strategies of Male and Female EFL Learners across Years of Study

The purpose of the present study was to determine the relationship between five dimensions of the epistemological beliefs regarding structure of knowledge, stability of knowledge, source of knowledge, ability to learn and, speed of learning and six measures of the motivational components of self-regulated learning strategies (intrinsic goal orientation, extrinsic goal orientation, task value, self-efficacy, control of learning, and test anxiety) among male and female EFL learners across years of study (freshman and sophomore students). The participants of this study were 101 EFL students studying English literature and English translation in the Islamic Azad University, Rasht Branch, Iran, during the spring semester of 2013. The participants completed Persian version of Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire (MSLQ) (Pintrich, Smith, Garcia & McKeachie, 1991) and Persian version of Epistemological Questionnaire (Schommer, 1990). Results showed that, in general, the more naive the epistemological beliefs of students, the less likely they are to use motivational learning strategies. Moreover, there was no significant relationship between dimensions of epistemological beliefs and motivational components of self-regulated learning strategies among male and female students. On the other hand, a statistically significant relationship was found between dimensions of epistemological beliefs and motivational components of self-regulated learning strategies for both freshman and sophomore students.

A study of epistemological beliefs of EFL learners across gender and educational level

The present study sought to investigate the impact of EFL learners’ educational level and gender on the five dimensions of their epistemological beliefs regarding structure of knowledge, stability of knowledge, source of knowledge, ability to learn and speed of learning. The participants who took part in the study were 101 EFL students studying English literature and English translation in the Islamic Azad University, Rasht Branch, Iran during the spring semester of 2013. They completed the Persian version of Epistemological Questionnaire (Schommer, 1990). The findings showed that there were no statistically significant differences between male and female EFL learners in terms of their epistemological beliefs. In addition, It was found that sophomore student’s mean score was significantly higher than that of the freshman students on ‘certain knowledge’ and ‘quick learning’ sub-scales indicating that sophomore students had more naive beliefs about ‘certain knowledge’ and ‘quick learning’ than freshman students.

The influence of the noradrenergic system on optimal control of neural plasticity

Decision making under uncertainty is challenging for any autonomous agent. The challenge increases when the environment’s stochastic properties change over time, i.e., when the environment is volatile. In order to efficiently adapt to volatile environments, agents must primarily rely on recent outcomes to quickly change their decision strategies; in other words, they need to increase their knowledge plasticity. On the contrary, in stable environments, knowledge stability must be preferred to preserve useful information against noise. Here we propose that in mammalian brain, the locus coeruleus (LC) is one of the nuclei involved in volatility estimation and in the subsequent control of neural plasticity. During a reinforcement learning task, LC activation, measured by means of pupil diameter, coded both for environmental volatility and learning rate. We hypothesize that LC could be responsible, through norepinephrinic modulation, for adaptations to optimize decision making in volatile environments. We also suggest a computational model on the interaction between the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) and LC for volatility estimation.

Beyond the Zachman framework: Problem-oriented system architecture

The year 2012 marks the twenty-fifth anniversary of A framework for information systems architecture, written by John Zachman and published in the IBM Systems Journal. The first part of this paper reviews the Zachman and similar frameworks and concludes that there are a number of limitations in the framework approach when applied to today's technology environment and business problems. These include the inability of the problem owner to properly describe a solution, the partitioning approach, and the decision-making processes in the context of uncertainty and change. The second part of this paper analyzes today's problems and allocates them to one of three classifications: tame, complex, and wicked, depending on the degree of certainty and stability of knowledge and decisions in both the problem and the solution domains. The final part outlines an approach to problem-solving and architecture development using techniques borrowed from cybernetics and control theory. It proposes that partitioning should be determined by the nature of the problem and potential solutions; that feedback loops should be implemented in order to control the process; that the architect should work across the business problem and solution spaces; and that decisions should be related to business value.

Protocol, pattern and paper: interactive stabilization of immunohistochemical knowledge

This paper analyzes the investigation of the distribution of the protein tenascin-C in canine mammary tumors. The method involved immunohistochemistry of tissue slices, performed by the application of an antibody to tenascin-C that specifically can be made visible for microscopic inspection. The first phase of the project is the making of the protocol, the second the deduction of a pattern of tenascin-C distribution in tumors and the third the writing of a paper. Each of the phases is analyzed separately, using the concept of resistance and accommodation. My purpose is to show that in each phase of the process of producing knowledge, the scientist meets resistances which force him to accommodate by changing his conceptual, technical and methodological approaches. In reverse, the details of the non-human agent (protocol, pattern or paper) have to be accommodated to the wishes and expectations of the scientist. Through this interaction a situation of stability of knowledge is reached at the end of each phase.In the protocol phase, resistance is found in the antibody and tissue slices. In the phase of pattern deduction the resistance is in the pathological diagnosis of the tumors and the expectations and hypothesis with which the scientist had entered the project; in the criteria to be used for assigning the slices to a tenascin-C pattern; and in the responses of colleagues and supervisor. In the paper-writing phase the interaction is between the scientist and the scientific community which should take on board the knowledge from the research project.When stabilization of knowledge is obtained in one of the phases, the agents of resistance turn into allies in the next phase, giving support to accommodating the resistances in this later phase. Second, the stabilization of knowledge of the protocol is further enhanced when stabilization of the pattern is achieved; in addition, knowledge of the pattern is more definite when it has become stabilized and closed knowledge within the science community.

Natural reflections: human cognition at the nexus of science and religion

In this important and original book, eminent scholar Barbara Herrnstein Smith describes, assesses, and reflects upon a set of contemporary intellectual projects involving science, religion, and human cognition. One, which Smith calls New Naturalism, is the effort to explain religion on the basis of cognitive science. Another, which she calls New Natural Theology, is the attempt to reconcile natural-scientific accounts of the world with traditional religious belief. These two projects, she suggests, are in many ways mirror images--or natural reflections--of each other. Examining these and related efforts from the perspective of a constructivist-pragmatist epistemology, Smith argues that crucial aspects of belief--religious and other--that remain elusive or invisible under dominant rationalist and computational models are illuminated by views of human cognition that stress its dynamic, embodied, and interactive features. She also demonstrates how constructivist understandings of the formation and stabilization of knowledge--scientific and other--alert us to similarities in the springs of science and religion that are elsewhere seen largely in terms of difference and contrast. In Natural Reflections, Smith develops a sophisticated approach to issues often framed only polemically. Recognizing science and religion as complex, distinct domains of human practice, she also insists on their significant historical connections and cognitive continuities and offers important new modes of engagement with each of them.

THE CONDITIONAL AND INTERACTION EFFECTS OF EPISTEMOLOGICAL BELIEFS ON THE SELF-REGULATED LEARNING OF COLLEGE STUDENTS: Cognitive and Behavioral Strategies

This study examines the conditional and interaction effects of each of four dimensions of the epistemological beliefs of college students regarding the ability to learn, the speed of learning, the structure of knowledge, and the stability of knowledge on four measures of the cognitive components (elaboration, rehearsal, organization, metacognition) and four measures of the behavioral components (effort regulation, management of time and study environment, peer learning, help seeking) of self-regulated learning strategies. Students with more sophisticated beliefs about the nature of knowledge and learning were more likely than their peers to use educationally productive cognitive and behavioral strategies in their learning. Beliefs about one’s ability to learn had the most significant and substantial effects, and the structure of knowledge had the second most significant and substantial effects on students’ use of self-regulated cognitive and behavioral learning strategies. Although a student’s belief about the stability of knowledge by itself had a statistically significant effect on only one learning strategy, this belief served as moderator for six of the 11 statistically significant interaction effects of epistemological beliefs on the use of cognitive and behavioral learning strategies. Implications of these findings for theory, research, policy and practice are examined.

Ways of Knowing and Epistemological Beliefs: Combined effect on academic performance

To obtain a more complete understanding of personal epistemology this study examines two epistemic paradigms – ways of knowing (specifically connected knowing and separate knowing) and epistemological beliefs (specifically beliefs about knowledge structure, knowledge stability, learning speed, and learning ability). Participants were 107 college students who completed questionnaires that assessed ways of knowing and epistemological beliefs. Multivariate analysis of variance revealed that men score significantly higher on separate knowing. Path analyses revealed that the effects of ways of knowing on academic performance are mediated by belief in the speed of learning.