Scientific Epistemic Beliefs: Principles, Perspectives, and Research Trends in Science Education
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Abstract
Scientific epistemic beliefs refer to beliefs related to scientific knowledge. These beliefs concern the nature of scientific knowledge and the process of scientific inquiry. Based on the literature review, the research team proposes a framework consisting of four dimensions: 1) the simplicity and certainty of scientific knowledge, 2) the sources of scientific knowledge, 3) the development of scientific knowledge, and 4) the justification of scientific knowledge. There are three approaches to measuring scientific epistemic beliefs: 1) quantitative measurement of scientific epistemic beliefs, which involves surveys and testing, 2) qualitative measurement of scientific epistemic beliefs, which includes interviews, open-ended questionnaires, observations, and discourse/interaction analysis, and 3) mixed-methods measurement of scientific epistemic beliefs, which combines both quantitative and qualitative data. Assessment is divided into two types: 1) binary and 2) continuous assessment. Research in science education related to scientific epistemic beliefs can be categorized into five approaches: 1) research examining personal scientific epistemic beliefs, 2) research on the types of scientific epistemic beliefs, 3) research developing instruments to measure scientific epistemic beliefs, 4) research on the relationship between scientific epistemic beliefs and other variables, and 5) experimental research on variables that enhance students' scientific epistemic beliefs. Research on scientific epistemic beliefs is important because it helps educators understand how students' scientific beliefs may influence or correlate with other dimensions of learning.
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