TY - JOUR

T1 - Epistemic Beliefs in Science

T2 - A Systematic Integration of Evidence From Multiple Studies

AU - Schiefer, Julia

AU - Edelsbrunner, Peter

AU - Bernholt, Andrea

AU - Kampa, Nele

AU - Nehring, Andreas

N1 - Funding Information: This study was supported by the Hector Foundation II, the German Telekom Foundation, and the Tübingen Postdoctoral Academy for Research on Education (PACE) at the Hector Research Institute of Education Sciences and Psychology (Study 1), by the Swedish Research Council via grant number 721-2013-2180 (Study 4), and by the German Research Foundation via grant number grant NE 2105/1-1 (Study 6). We thank Eric Klopp and Martin Schwichow for extensive feedback on a draft of this manuscript, and Gabriel Nagy for helpful comments on a presentation of this work.

PY - 2022/9

Y1 - 2022/9

N2 - Recent research has integrated developmental and dimensional perspectives on epistemic beliefs by implementing an approach in which profiles of learners’ epistemic beliefs are modeled across multiple dimensions. Variability in study characteristics has impeded the comparison of profiles of epistemic beliefs and their relations with external variables across studies. We examined this comparability by integrating data on epistemic beliefs about the source, certainty, development, and justification of knowledge in science from six studies comprising N = 10,932 German students from elementary to upper secondary school. Applying latent profile analyses to these data, we found that profiles of epistemic beliefs that were previously conceptualized were robust across multiple samples. We found indications that profiles of epistemic beliefs homogenize over the course of students’ education, are related to school tracking, and demonstrate robust relations with students’ personal characteristics and socioeconomic background. We discuss implications for the theory, assessment, and education of epistemic beliefs.

AB - Recent research has integrated developmental and dimensional perspectives on epistemic beliefs by implementing an approach in which profiles of learners’ epistemic beliefs are modeled across multiple dimensions. Variability in study characteristics has impeded the comparison of profiles of epistemic beliefs and their relations with external variables across studies. We examined this comparability by integrating data on epistemic beliefs about the source, certainty, development, and justification of knowledge in science from six studies comprising N = 10,932 German students from elementary to upper secondary school. Applying latent profile analyses to these data, we found that profiles of epistemic beliefs that were previously conceptualized were robust across multiple samples. We found indications that profiles of epistemic beliefs homogenize over the course of students’ education, are related to school tracking, and demonstrate robust relations with students’ personal characteristics and socioeconomic background. We discuss implications for the theory, assessment, and education of epistemic beliefs.

KW - Development

KW - Epistemic beliefs

KW - Latent profile analysis

KW - Primary school

KW - Secondary school

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85124737685&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1007/s10648-022-09661-w

DO - 10.1007/s10648-022-09661-w

M3 - Article

VL - 34

SP - 1541

EP - 1575

JO - Educational Psychology Review

JF - Educational Psychology Review

SN - 1040-726X

IS - 3

ER -