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Different majors--different epistemological beliefs?

Article Excerpt
Abstract

The development of epistemological beliefs and connected intellectual development are key functions of education and the last years showed an increase in research of how epistemological beliefs can get scaffolded by instruction. At the same time learning science as a discipline moves away from a General Theory to design instruction within a discipline and across disciplines. Prior research of the influence of different disciplines on epistemological belief development is controversial. In this exploratory study the authors analyzed whether or not there are any significant differences between students' epistemological beliefs depending on their field of study and in how these differences are reflected in students' perception of their own learning process. The authors used quantitative and qualitative methods in a large survey class at a Midwestern University.

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Research of epistemological beliefs, its influence on learning, and its scaffolding through different environments has increased in recent years (for an overview see Hofer & Pintrich, 1997). Several studies have shown the influence of different learning interventions on the epistemological development of students in many domains. The research effort is not surprising considering that intellectual development is a key function of education (Marra et al., 2000). At the same time, instructional design as a discipline is moving away from a General Theory of design and recognizes the independence of domain specific reasoning, different approaches to learning and teaching (based on research on multiple intelligences), and the underlying interpretative perspectives of the disciplines. In this exploratory research the authors were interested in understanding whether or not there are any significant differences between students' epistemological beliefs depending on their field of study and in how these differences are reflected in students' perception of their own learning process. Different fields might foster students' epistemological development differently or might attract people with specific intellectual maturity to pursue studies in those fields.

Literature Review

The literature on epistemological development conceptualizes progress in the cognitive processes of individuals. Borrowing a term (and concept) from one of philosophy's core disciplines--epistemology--the research of epistemological belief in education is concerned with how individuals answer questions such as "What is the nature of knowledge?", "How can I know what I know?", and...

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