ERIC Number: EJ1161594
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2017
Pages: 20
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0950-0693
EISSN: N/A
Developing Instruments Concerning Scientific Epistemic Beliefs and Goal Orientations in Learning Science: A Validation Study
International Journal of Science Education, v39 n17 p2382-2401 2017
The purpose of this study was to develop and validate two survey instruments to evaluate high school students' scientific epistemic beliefs and goal orientations in learning science. The initial relationships between the sampled students' scientific epistemic beliefs and goal orientations in learning science were also investigated. A final valid sample of 600 volunteer Taiwanese high school students participated in this survey by responding to the Scientific Epistemic Beliefs Instrument (SEBI) and the Goal Orientations in Learning Science Instrument (GOLSI). Through both exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses, the SEBI and GOLSI were proven to be valid and reliable for assessing the participants' scientific epistemic beliefs and goal orientations in learning science. The path analysis results indicated that, by and large, the students with more sophisticated epistemic beliefs in various dimensions such as "Development of Knowledge," "Justification for Knowing," and "Purpose of Knowing" tended to adopt both "Mastery-approach" and "Mastery-avoidance" goals. Some interesting results were also found. For example, the students tended to set a learning goal to outperform others or merely demonstrate competence ("Performance-approach") if they had more informed epistemic beliefs in the dimensions of "Multiplicity of Knowledge, Uncertainty of Knowledge," and "Purpose of Knowing."
Descriptors: Scientific Attitudes, Student Surveys, High School Students, Epistemology, Factor Analysis, Goal Orientation, Validity, Reliability, Measures (Individuals), Mastery Learning, Foreign Countries, Path Analysis, Student Attitudes, Science Education, Factor Structure, Learning Processes
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: High Schools
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Taiwan
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A