Exploring the Relationship between Students’ Epistemological Beliefs about Science and their Approaches to Learning Science
Abstract
Abstract Views: 465
Students’ approaches to the learning process, their learning style, cognitive style, learning preferences, and beliefs about knowledge had been the main focus of empirical research for many years. A quantitative survey was carried out to explore their epistemological beliefs about science and their learning approaches towards science. Moreover, the correlation between these two variables at secondary level science classroom in Chitral, Pakistan was determined. The population of the current study consisted of 59293 students from both genders studying in various public sector schools in Chitral district. Secondary school science students served as the population for this research, while 379 students were randomly selected as sample. Approaches to Learning Questionnaire (ALQ) and Students Epistemic Beliefs (SEB) questionnaire were adapted and administered for data collection. The findings showed that students employed both surface and deep approaches for science learning at secondary level. Similarly, they possessed mixed epistemological beliefs. Significant correlation was also found between some categories of students’ epistemological beliefs and learning approaches. The current study also discussed the implications of the above findings for teaching and learning activities in the classroom, teacher education institutions, and other stakeholders. Specific recommendations with regards to the nature and assessment of learning were also proposed for classroom practices.
Keywords: deep learning, epistemological beliefs, learning approaches, surface learning
Downloads
References
Biggs, J. B. (1987). The study process questionnaire (spq) mannual: students’ approaches to learning and studying. Australian Council for Educational Research.
Cano, F. (2005). Epistemological beliefs and approaches to learning: Their change through secondary school and their influence on academic performance. British Journal of Educational Psychology, 75(2), 203-221. https://doi.org/10.1348/000709904X22683
Cassidy, S. (2004). Learning style: An overview of learning theories, models &measures. Educational Psychology, 4(4), 420-444. https://doi.org/10.1080/0144341042000228834
Chan, K. (2002). Students' epistemological beliefs and approaches to learning (Paper presentation). The AARE2002 Conference, Brisbane, Australia.
Chan, K. W., & Elliott, R. G. (2002). Exploratory study of Hong Kong teacher education students’ epistemological beliefs: cultural perspectives and implications on beliefs research. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 27(3), 225-234. https://doi.org/10.1006/ceps.2001.1102
Chan, K.-W. (2003). Hong Kong teacher education students’ epistemological beliefs to approaches to learning. Research in Education, 69(1), 36-50. https://doi.org/10.7227/RIE.69.4
Cheng, M. M. H., Chan, K. W., Tang, S. Y. F., & Cheng, A. Y. N. (2009). Pre-service teacher education students’ epistemological beliefs and their conceptions of teaching. Teaching and Teacher Education, 25(2), 319-327. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2008.09.018
Chiou, G.-L., Lee, M.-N., & Tsai, C.-C. (2013). High school students’ approaches to learning physics with relationship to epistemic views on physics and conceptions of learning physics, Research in Science & Technological Education, 31(1),1-15. https://doi.org/10.1080/02635143.2013.794134
Conley, A.-M. M., Pintrich, P. R., Vekiri, I., & Harrison, D. (2004). Changes in epistemological beliefs in elementary science students. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 29(2), 186-204. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cedpsych.2004.01.004
Dogan, C. D., Atmaca, S., & Yolcu, F. A. (2012). The correlation between learning approaches and assessment preferences of eighth-grade students. Ilkogretim Online, 11(1), 264-272.
Ellis, R. A. (2004). University student approaches to learning science through writing International Journal of Science Education, 26(15), 1835-1853. https://doi.org/10.1080/0950069042000243772
Glynn, S. M., Yeany, R. H. & Britton, B. K. (1991). A constructivist view of learning science. In S. M. Glynn, R. H. Yeany & B. K. Britton (Eds.). The psychology of learning science (pp. 219-240). Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
Lee, M. H., Johnson, R. E. & Tsai, C. (2008). Exploring Taiwanese high school students' conceptions of and approaches to learning science through a structural equation modeling analysis. Science Education. 92(2), 191-220. https://doi.org/10.1002/sce.20245
Lee, W. W. S., & Chan, V. C. W. (2017). Cross sectional research on Chinese Secondary School Students’. Epistemic beliefs and fallacy identification. Asia Pacific Education Research. 26(1-2), 11-19. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40299-016-0322-1
Liang, J. -C., lee, M.-H. & Tsai, C. -C. (2010). The Relations between scientific epistemological beliefs and approaches to learning science among science-major undergraduates in Taiwan. Asia-Pacific Education Researcher, 19(1), 43-59.
Liang, J-C., Su, Y-C. & Tsai, C-C. (2014). Assessment of Taiwanese college students’ conception of and approaches to learning computer science and their relationship. Asia-Pacific Educational Research, 24(4), 557-567. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40299-014-0201-6
Magolda, M. B. B. (1992). Students’ epistemologies and academic experiences: Implications for pedagogy. Review of Higher Education, 15(3), 265–287. https://doi.org/10.1353/rhe.1992.0013
Marton, F., & Säljö, R. (1976). On qualitative differences in learning outcome and process. British Journal of Educational Psychology, 46(2), 115-127. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.2044-8279.1976.tb02980.x
Minasian‐Batmanian, L. C., Lingard, J., & Prosser, M. (2006). Variation in student reflections on their conceptions of and approaches to learning biochemistry in a first-year health sciences’ service subject. International Journal of Science Education, 28(15), 1887–1904. https://doi.org/10.1080/09500690600621274
Muis, K. R., Bendixen, L. D. & Haerle, F. C. (2006). Domain-Generality and domain-specificity in personal epistemology research: philosophical and empirical reflections in the development of a theoretical framework. Educational Psychology Review, 18, 3-54. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-006-9003-6
Ongowo, E. O., Ngetich, K., & Murenga, H. (2021). A false start: Children of the street's journey into the charitable children institutions and its policy implications. Social Sciences & Humanities Open, 4(1), e100166. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssaho.2021.100166
Schommer, M. (1990). Effects of beliefs about the nature of knowledge on comprehension. Journal of Educational Psychology, 82(3), 498-504. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-0663.82.3.498
Schommer-Aikins, M, Duell, O. K., & Hutter, R (2005). Epistemological beliefs, mathematical problem‐solving beliefs, and academic performance of middle school students. The Elementary School Journal, 105(3), 289-304. https://doi.org/10.1086/428745
Senemoglu, N. (2011). College of education students' approaches to learning and study skills. Egitim ve Bilim, 36(160), 65-80.
Shen, K-M., Lee, M-H., Tsai, C-C., Chang, C-Y. (2016). Undergraduate Students’ earth science learning: Relationship among conceptions, approaches and learning self-efficacy in Taiwan. International Journal of Science Education, 38(9), 1527-1547. https://doi.org/10.1080/09500693.2016.1198060
Smarandache, I. G., Maricutoiu, L. P., Ilie , M. D., Iancu, D. E. & Mladenovici, V. (2021). Students’ approach to learning: evidence regarding the importance of the interest-to-effort ratio. Higher Education Research and Development, 41(2), 546-561. https://doi.org/10.1080/07294360.2020.1865283
Solomonides, I. (2013). The relational and multidimensional model of student engagement. In E. Dunne & Derfel, O. (Eds.). The student engagement handbook: Practice in higher education (pp. 43-58). Emerald.
Sparks, K. M. (2013). Student conceptions of learning and the approaches to learning adoptedinan introductory science course: a q methodology study [Doctoral dissertation, Western Michigan University]. Western Michigan University Archive. https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/dissertations/221/
Tsai, C.-C. & Liu, S. (2005). Developing a multi-dimensional instrument for assessing students’ epistemological views towards science. International Journal of Science Education, 27(13), 1621-1638. https://doi.org/10.1080/09500690500206432
van-Rossum, E. J., & Taylor, I. P. (1987). The Relationship between conceptions of learning a good teaching: A scheme of cognitive development (Paper presentation). Annual meeting of American educational research association, Washington DC, US.
Yang, Y-F. & Tsai, C-C. (2017). Exploring in-service preschool teachers’ conception of and approaches to online education. Australian Journal of Educational Technology, 33(1), 134-147. https://doi.org/10.14742/ajet.2635
Yenice, N. (2015). An analysis of science student teachers’ epistemological beliefs and metacognitive perception about the nature of science. Educational Science: Theory and Practice, 15(6), 1623-1636. https://doi.org/10.12738/estp.2015.6.2613
Zhang, L.-F., & Watkins, D. (2001). Cognitive development and student approaches to learning: An investigation of Perry’s theory with Chinese and U.S. university students. Higher Education, 41(3), 239-261. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1004151226395
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
UER follows an open-access publishing policy and full text of all published articles is available free, immediately upon publication of an issue. The journal’s contents are published and distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC-BY 4.0) license. Thus, the work submitted to the journal implies that it is original, unpublished work of the authors (neither published previously nor accepted/under consideration for publication elsewhere). On acceptance of a manuscript for publication, a corresponding author on the behalf of all co-authors of the manuscript will sign and submit a completed Copyright and Author Consent Form.
Copyright (c) The Authors
