Two questions were addressed: "What are students' beliefs about the nature of knowledge?" and "How do these beliefs affect comprehension?" In Experiment 1, an epistemological questionnaire was administered to undergraduates. Factor analysis of the questionnaire resulted in 4 factors reflecting degrees of belief in innate ability, simple knowledge, quick learning, and certain knowledge. In Experiment 2, students read a passage about either the social sciences or the physical sciences, in which the concluding paragraph was removed. Then they rated their confidence in understanding the passage, wrote a conclusion, and completed a mastery test. Belief in quick learning predicted oversimplified conclusions, poor performance on the mastery test, and overconfidence in test performance. Belief in certain knowledge predicted inappropriately absolute conclusions.This study is based on a thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the doctoral degree of education at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

This is an investigation of the development of secondary students' beliefs about the nature of knowledge and learning, or epistemological beliefs, and the influence that these beliefs have on academic performance. An epistemological questionnaire that assesses students' beliefs about simple knowledge, certain knowledge, quick learning, and fixed ability to learn was modified and administered to more than 1,000 high school students. Factor analysis of students' responses replicated the factor structure found in previous research. Differences in epistemological beliefs among students across the high school years and between genders were examined. Belief in simple knowledge, certain knowledge, and quick learning decreased from freshman to senior year. Girls were less likely to believe in quick learning and fixed ability. Students' grade point average (GPA) was regressed on epistemological factors. The less students believed in quick learning, the higher the GPA they earned.

This study examines epistemological belief assessment and the relationship between belief in simple knowledge and mathematical text comprehension. In Experiment 1, an epistemological questionnaire developed earlier (Schommer, 1990) was administered and factor analyzed. The factor structure was replicated, measuring beliefs in externally controlled learning, simple knowledge, quick learning, and certain knowledge. In Experiment 2, students were instructed to read either to determine the comprehensibility of passage information or to teach passage information. Then students read a statistical passage, assessed their understanding, and completed a mastery test and study strategy inventory. Regression analyses indicated that the less students believed in simple knowledge, the better they performed on the mastery test and the more accurately they assessed their comprehension. A path model indicates that study strategies may mediate epistemological effects.We would like to thank Orpha Duell, Randy Ellsworth, Linda Bakken, and Brian Stone for their helpful comments on earlier drafts of this article.

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Background. Individuals' beliefs about the nature of knowledge and learning, or epistemological beliefs, have been linked to their comprehension, meta‐comprehension, persistence, and interpretation of information (e.g., Kitchener & King, 1981; Ryan, 1984; Songer & Linn, 1991). Little is known about the development of epistemological beliefs. Aims. This research examines the contributions of age and education to adults' epistemological beliefs. Sample. A total of 418 adults from all walks of life (e.g., homemakers, waitresses, teachers, farmers, carpenters, executives, and lawyers) participated in this study. Stratified random sampling was used to ensure that one‐third of the sample had only a high school education, another third had some college undergraduate experience, and the other third had some graduate school experience. Method. Adults completed an epistemological questionnaire that assesses beliefs about the structure and stability of knowledge, and the speed and control of learning. Results. To ensure that the epistemological questionnaire was suitable for this sample, a factor analysis was carried out. Factor scores that were generated replicated a factor structure that had been found in earlier studies (Dunkle, Schraw & Bendixen, 1993; Schommer, 1990). Results from multiple regression analyses indicated that education predicted beliefs about the structure and stability of knowledge. Age predicted beliefs about the ability to learn. Conclusions. This evidence suggests that both age and education affect individuals' epistemological beliefs in unique ways. This may have implications for older adults who return to school eager to learn but with misunderstandings about the nature of knowledge, and younger adults who attend school with doubts about the malleability of the ability to learn.