Understanding children's epistemic beliefs in elementary education

Article


Lunn Brownlee, Jo, Curtis, Elizabeth, Spooner-Lane, Rebecca and Feucht, Florian. 2017. "Understanding children's epistemic beliefs in elementary education." Education 3-13: the professional journal for primary education. 45 (2), pp. 191-208. https://doi.org/10.1080/03004279.2015.1069369
Article Title

Understanding children's epistemic beliefs in elementary education

ERA Journal ID20762
Article CategoryArticle
AuthorsLunn Brownlee, Jo (Author), Curtis, Elizabeth (Author), Spooner-Lane, Rebecca (Author) and Feucht, Florian (Author)
Journal TitleEducation 3-13: the professional journal for primary education
Journal Citation45 (2), pp. 191-208
Number of Pages18
Year2017
Place of PublicationMilton Park, United Kingdom
ISSN0300-4279
1475-7575
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)https://doi.org/10.1080/03004279.2015.1069369
Abstract

Research shows that the beliefs individuals hold about knowledge and knowing (epistemic beliefs) influence learning approaches and outcomes. However, little is known about the nature of children’s epistemic beliefs and how best to measure these. In this pilot study, 11 Australian children (in Grade 4 or Grade 6) were asked to ‘draw, write and tell’ about their epistemic beliefs using drawings, written responses and interviews, respectively. Drawings were analysed, with the majority of children depicting external, one-way sources of knowledge. The written statements and interviews were analysed using inductive thematic analysis, showing that children predominantly described knowledge acquisition as processes of task-based learning. Interviews also enabled children to describe a wider range of views. These results indicate that the methodological combination of ‘draw, write and tell’ allowed for a deeper understanding of the children’s epistemic beliefs which holds implications for future research.

Keywordschildren’s epistemic beliefs; children’s personal epistemology; measurement of epistemic beliefs; draw and write methods
ANZSRC Field of Research 2020390304. Primary education
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Byline AffiliationsQueensland University of Technology
University of Toledo, United States
Institution of OriginUniversity of Southern Queensland
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