Testing the TIDE: Examining the Nature of Students’ Epistemic Beliefs Using a Multiple Methods Approach

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to empirically scrutinize Muis, Bendixen, and Haerle's (2006) Theory of Integrated Domains in Epistemology framework. Secondary, college, undergraduate, and graduate students completed self-reports designed to measure their domain-specific and domain-general epistemic beliefs for mathematics, psychology, and general knowledge, respectively. Following completion of the questionnaires, students participated in an interview that further probed their epistemic beliefs to better understand the nature of their beliefs. Results from our study suggest students’ beliefs across domains are somewhat related but still unique to that particular domain. Moreover, analysis of the interviews revealed that students espouse general knowledge beliefs and domain-specific beliefs. Interestingly, students expressed absolutist beliefs about mathematics, but were multiplist in their stances toward psychology and general knowledge. When asked to provide examples that came to mind when reporting their beliefs, students frequently drew on their classroom experiences to explain why they held specific beliefs. We discuss theoretical implications.

Keywords:

• epistemic beliefs
• domain differences
• mixed methods

FUNDING

Support for this research was provided by a grant to Krista R. Muis, recipient of the Early Career Research Award from the American Psychological Association.

Notes

Constructivist epistemic beliefs include beliefs about knowledge as being complex, tentative, personally constructed, and justified through evidence. Constructivist beliefs are distinguished from the broader term, constructivism, which ranges across perspectives from radical constructivism, which reflects an extreme individualistic perspective, to social constructivism, which is informed by Vygotsky's (1986) work (for an overview see Murphy, Alexander, & Muis, 2012).

Our education system requires that upon completion of secondary school, students must attend a two-year college program prior to entering an undergraduate university program. Secondary school includes Grades 7 through 11 (ages 12 to 16 years).

Although the DFEBQ was not developed for domain-general assessments, it was originally developed from instruments that were domain general (e.g., Schommer's [1990] questionnaire). As such, slight modifications made the DFEBQ similar to the original domain-general instruments. Moreover, to be able to compare students’ beliefs across the three contexts, it was necessary to use the same instrument.