Normative Data From Australian University Students on Schommer's (1990) Epistemological Questionnaire.

Ohtsuka, Keis, Mallamace, Joe, Milonas, Marini and Scicluna, Anthony (1997) Normative Data From Australian University Students on Schommer's (1990) Epistemological Questionnaire. In: 1996 ERA/AARE Joint Conference, 25-29 November 1996, Singapore.

Abstract

The aim of this study was to produce normative data for an Australian sample on Schommer's (1990) Epistemological Questionnaire [Schommer, M. (1990). Effects of beliefs about the nature of knowledge on comprehension. Journal of Educational Psychology, 82, 498-504]. The original questionnaire was administered to a small number of participants and feedback was sought. A revised version of the Epistemological Questionnaire was then developed and a draft was sent to Schommer for comments. A sample of 150 Australian university students was collected using the revised version of the Epistemological Questionnaire. The results suggest that there are four similar underlying factors comprising beliefs in (1) inability to learn to learn, and success is not related to hard work, (2) learning is innate, quick, and one-step process, (3) seeking simple answer and avoid ambiguity and integration of knowledge, and (4) certainty of knowledge, dependence on the authority and reluctance to criticise it. The implication of these findings from an Australian sample may suggest that epistemological beliefs among Australian university students are similar to those of the American students. With a slight modification, Schommer's (1990) Epistemological Questionnaire serves as an effective tool to assess students' beliefs regarding learning and the nature of knowledge.

Additional Information

Paper presented at the 1996 Educational Research Association
(Singapore)/Australian Association for Research in Education Joint Annual Conference, Singapore, 25-29 November 1996.

Item type Conference or Workshop Item (Paper)
URI https://vuir.vu.edu.au/id/eprint/332
Official URL http://www.aare.edu.au
ISBN 1324-9339
Subjects Historical > RFCD Classification > 380000 Behavioural and Cognitive Sciences
Historical > RFCD Classification > 330000 Education
Historical > Faculty/School/Research Centre/Department > School of Social Sciences and Psychology
Keywords Educational Psychology; Epistemological Beliefs; Beliefs about knowledge and learning; University Students
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