The influence of age and education on epistemological beliefs

Abstract

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.

Jordanian Version of the Epistemological Beliefs Questionnaire about Mathematics: The Validation Study

“…These results seem to be consistent with the related literature (e.g., Wheeler, 2007;Schommer, 1998;Schommer et al, 1997;Jehng et al, 1993). For instance, Schommer (1998) indicated that regression analysis on a large sample of working adults led to the conclusion that more educated participants were less likely to view knowledge as simple or certain. This result seemed not to be surprising because students are expected to be more aware of their own beliefs and cognitive capabilities than younger students (Aydin & Uboz, 2010).…”

“…The relationship between grade level and epistemological beliefs about mathematics has been researched with high school (Schommer et al, 1997), collegiate, (Jehng et al, 1993;Schommer, 1998), and adult (Schommer, 1998) samples. Across all samples studied, the increased level of education was associated with more sophisticated epistemological beliefs.…”

University Applicants’ Critical Thinking Skills: The Case of the Finnish Educational Sciences

“…A recent study on Finnish third-year bio-science students' epistemological beliefs supports the idea that epistemic beliefs and critical thinking are interconnected, as the students applied critical thinking in order strengthen their thinking in general (Hyytinen, Holma, Toom, Shavelson & Lindblom-Ylänne, 2014). There is also evidence that the more education adults have received, the more probable it is that they will perceive knowledge as complex and constantly in flux (Schommer, 1998). Further, this belief in the complexity and perpetual transformation of knowledge increases the individual's willingness to take multiple perspectives and alter their thinking (Schommer-Aikins & Hutter, 2002).…”

Increasing Student Numbers: Diminishing Tutor Insight?

“…Admittedly, this will not provide the same detail that individual discourse in the traditional classroom will provide, but it may be sufficient. Students could be surveyed in induction week to provide information, for instance, on their learning styles (Biggs, Kember and Leung, 2001), reflective thinking (Kember et al, 2000;Leung and Kember, 2003), and epistemological beliefs (Clarebout, Elen, Luyten and Bamps, 2002;Schommer, 1990Schommer, , 1998. Students' expectations could also be sought (Maunder and Harrop, 2003).…”