Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Understanding Personal Epistemology

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Conceptions of Knowledge Creation, Knowledge and Knowing

Abstract

This chapter presents a literature review on the theoretical models of personal epistemology under three major frameworks: a uni-dimension developmental trajectory, a multi-dimension system of epistemic beliefs and manifold epistemological resources. Following that, we discuss cultural specificity of personal epistemology, in particular, the traditional Chinese epistemology that might influence the participants in our study.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 84.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 109.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 109.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

References

  • Baxter Magolda, M. B. (1992). Knowing and reasoning in college: Gender-related patterns in students’ intellectual developments. San Francisco: Jossey Bass.

    Google Scholar 

  • Belenky, M. F., Clinchy, B. M., Goldberger, N. R., & Tarule, J. M. (1986). Women’s ways of knowing: The development of self, voice and mind. New York: Basic Books.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bendixen, L. D., Schraw, G., & Dunkle, M. E. (1998). Epistemic beliefs and moral reasoning. The Journal of Psychology, 132(2), 187–200.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chai, C. S., & Khine, M. S. (2008). Assessing the epistemological and pedagogical beliefs among pre-service teachers in Singapore. In M. S. Khine (Ed.), Knowing, knowledge and beliefs: Epistemological studies across diverse cultures (pp. 287–299). New York: Springer.

    Google Scholar 

  • 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), 392–414.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chan, K.-W., & Elliott, R. G. (2004). Epistemological beliefs across cultures: Critique and analysis of beliefs structure studies. Educational Psychology: An International Journal of Experimental Educational Psychology, 24(2), 123–142.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chan, W.-T. (1963). A source book in Chinese philosophy. New Jersey: Princeton University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • diSessa, A. A. (1993). Toward an epistemology of physics. Cognition and Instruction, 10(2/3), 105–225.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Elby, A. (2009). Defining personal epistemology: A response to Hofer & Pintrich (1997) and Sandoval (2005). The Journal of Learning Sciences, 18(1), 138–149.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Elby, A., & Hammer, D. (2010). Epistemological resources and framing: A cognitive framework for helping teachers interpret and respond to their students’ epistemologies. In L. D. Bendixen & F. C. Feucht (Eds.), Personal epistemology in the classroom: Theory, research and implications for practice (pp. 409–434). New York: Cambridge University Press.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Feucht, F. C., & Bendixen, L. D. (2010). Personal epistemology in the classroom: A welcome and guide for the teacher. In L. D. Bendixen & F. C. Feucht (Eds.), Personal epistemology in the classroom: Theory, research and implications for practice (pp. 3–28). New York: Cambridge University Press.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Greene, J., Azevedo, R., & Torney-Purta, J. (2008). Modeling epistemic and ontological cognition: Philosophical perspectives and methodological directions. Educational Psychologist, 43(3), 142–160.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Guan, Z. B. (1996). Zhongguo gudai zhexue youmeiyou renshilun [Does epistemology exist in ancient Chinese philosophy?]. Journal of Guangxi University for Nationalities (Philosophy and Social Science Edition), 1996(3), 12–25.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gumperz, J. J., & Levinson, S. C. (1996). Introduction: Linguistic relativity re-examined. In J. J. Gumperz & S. C. Levinson (Eds.), Rethinking linguistic relativity (pp. 1–18). Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hammer, D., & Elby, A. (2002). On the form of a personal epistemology. In B. K. Hofer & P. R. Pintrich (Eds.), Personal epistemology: The psychology of beliefs about knowledge and knowing (pp. 169–190). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates Inc.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hammer, D., & Elby, A. (2003). Tapping epistemological resources for learning physics. Journal of the Learning Sciences, 12(1), 53–90.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hofer, B. K. (2000). Dimensionality and disciplinary differences in personal epistemology. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 25(4), 378–405.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hofer, B. K. (2002). Personal epistemology as a psychological and educational construct: An introduction. In B. K. Hofer & P. R. Pintrich (Eds.), Personal epistemology: The psychology of beliefs about knowledge and knowing (pp. 3–14). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates Inc.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hofer, B. K. (2008). Personal epistemology and culture. In M. S. Khine (Ed.), Knowing, Knowledge and Beliefs: Epistemological Studies across Diverse Cultures (pp. 1–22). Netherlands: Springer Science + Business Media B.V.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hofer, B. K. (2010). Personal epistemology in Asia: Burgeoning research and future directions. The Asia-Pacific Education Researcher, 19(1), 179–184.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hofer, B. K., & Pintrich, P. R. (1997). The development of epistemological theories: Beliefs about knowledge and knowing and their relation to learning. Review of Educational Research, 67(1), 88–140.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jehng, J.-C. J., Johnson, S. D., & Anderson, R. C. (1993). Schooling and students’ epistemological beliefs about learning. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 18(1), 23–35.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • King, P. M., & Kitchener, K. S. (1994). Developing reflective judgment: Understanding and promoting intellectual growth and critical thinking in adolescents and adults. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kitchener, R. F. (2011). Personal epistemology and philosophical epistemology: The view of a philosopher. In J. Elen, E. Stahl, R. Bromme, & G. Clarebout (Eds.), Links between beliefs and cognitive flexibility: Lessons learned (pp. 79–104). Netherlands: Springer.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Kuhn, D. (1991). The skills of argument. Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Le, A. G. (2014). Minguoshiqi due zhuxi gewu zhizhi shuo de butong jiedu. [The different interpretations of zhuxi’s gewu zhizhi theory during the minguo era]. Academia Bimestris (Xue Hai), 2014(5), 201–205.

    Google Scholar 

  • Li, S. (2001). Sishu jizhu quanyi [A full translation of sishu jizhu]. Chengdu, Sichuan: Bashu Publishing House. Retrieved from http://www.doc88.com/p-7030210776.html.

  • Li, Z. H. (1989). Duzun rushu yu dui rujia shenxue de pipan [Dominance of Confucianism and a critique of its idolization]. In Z. Y. Ding & H. Zang (Eds.), Zhongguo zhexueshi jiaocheng (pp. 137–170). Shanghai: East China Normal University.

    Google Scholar 

  • Liu, J. (2006). An introduction to Chinese philosophy: From ancient philosophy to Chinese buddhism. Malden, MA: Blackwell Publishing.

    Google Scholar 

  • Markie, P. (2015). Rationalism vs. Empiricism. In E. N. Zalta (Ed.), The Stanford encyclopedia of philosophy (Summer 2015 Edition). Retrieved from http://plato.stanford.edu/archives/sum2015/entries/rationalism-empiricism/.

  • Moore, W. S. (1994). Student and faculty epistemology in the college classroom: The Perry schema of intellectual and ethical development. In K. W. Prichard & R. M. Sawyer (Eds.), Handbook of college teaching: Theory and applications (pp. 45–67). Westport, CT: Greenwood Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Moore, W. S. (2002). Understanding learning in a postmodern world: Reconsidering the Perry scheme of intellectual and ethical development. In B. K. Hofer & P. R. Pintrich (Eds.), The psychology of beliefs about knowledge and knowing (pp. 17–36). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mori, Y. (1999). Epistemological beliefs and language learning beliefs: What do language learners believe about their learning? The Modern Language Learning, 49(3), 377–415.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mou, Z. S. (1997). Zhongxi zhexue zhi huitong shisi jiang [Fourteen lectures on mastering Chinese and Western philosophy]. Shanghai: Shanghai Ancient Works Publishing House.

    Google Scholar 

  • Perry, W. G. (1968). Patterns of development in thought and values of students in a liberal arts college: A validation of a scheme. Cambridge, MA: Bureau of Study Counsel, Harvard University. Retrieved from ERIC database. (ED024315).

    Google Scholar 

  • Perry, W. G. (1970). Forms of intellectual and ethical development in the college years: A scheme. New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston.

    Google Scholar 

  • Piaget, J. (1950). Introduction a l’epistemologie genetique. Paris: Presses Universitaires de France.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rule, D. C., & Bendixen, L. D. (2010). The integrative model of personal epistemology development: Theoretical underpinnings and implications for education. In L. D. Bendixen & F. C. Feucht (Eds.), Personal epistemology in the classroom: Theory, research and implications for practice (pp. 94–123). New York: Cambridge University Press.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Sandoval, W. A. (2005). Understanding students’ practical epistemologies and their influence on learning through inquiry. Science Education, 89(4), 634–656.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sapir, E. (1933/1949). Language. In D. G. Mandelbaum (Ed.), Selected writings of Edward Sapir in culture, language and personality (pp. 7–32). Berkeley: University of California Press. Retrieved from https://archive.org/details/selectedwritings00sapi.

  • Schommer, M. (1990). Effects of beliefs about the nature of knowledge on comprehension. Journal of Educational Psychology, 82(3), 498–504.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schommer, M. (1993). Epistemological development and academic performance among secondary students. Journal of Educational Psychology, 85(3), 406–411.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schommer, M., Crouse, A., & Rhodes, N. (1992). Epistemological beliefs and mathematical text comprehension: Believing it is simple does not make it so. Journal of Educational Psychology, 82(4), 435–443.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schommer-Aikins, M. (2004). Explaining the epistemological belief system: Introducing the embedded systemic model and coordinated research approach, 39(1), 19–29.

    Google Scholar 

  • So, H.-J., Lee, J.-Y., Roh, S.-Z., & Lee, S.-K. (2010). Examining epistemological beliefs of pre-service teachers in Korea. The Asia-Pacific Education Researcher, 19(1), 79–97.

    Google Scholar 

  • Steup, M. (2014). Epistemology. In E. N. Zalta (Ed.), The Stanford encyclopedia of philosophy (Spring 2014 Edition). Retrieved from http://plato.stanford.edu/archives/spr2014/entries/epistemology/.

  • Wang, Q., & Li, X. Z. (2014). Gewu zhizhi xinjie [Re-interpreting gewu zhizhi]. Journal of Chinese Humanities, 2014(6), 129–134.

    Google Scholar 

  • Whorf, B. L. (1956). Language, thought, and reality: Selected writings of Benjamin Lee Whorf. New York: Technology Press of MIT. Retrieved from https://archive.org/details/languagethoughtr00whor.

  • Wildenger, L. K., Hofer, B. K., & Burr, J. E. (2010). Epistemological development in very young knowers. In L. D. Bendixen & F. C. Feucht (Eds.), Personal epistemology in the classroom: Theory, research and implications for practice (pp. 220–257). New York: Cambridge University Press.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Xia, N. R. (1985). Zhongguo gudai renshilun zhi faren [Ancient Chinese epistemology’s development]. Shanghai Shifan Daxue Xuebao (Journal of Shanghai Normal University), 1985(1), 1–7.

    Google Scholar 

  • Zhang, J. (1995). Xunzi yizhu [A translation and annotation of Xun Zi]. Shanghai: Shanghai Ancient Works Publishing House. Retrieved from http://ishare.iask.sina.com.cn/f/38308386.html.

  • Zhang, M. C. (2001). Dangdai zhongguo renshilun yanjiu: Huigu yu qianzhan [Research in contemporary Chinese epistemology: Review and outlook]. Teaching and Research, 2001(8), 59–63.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Yusof Ishak Secondary School, Ministry of Education, Singapore, Singapore

    Yuh Huann Tan

  2. National Institute of Education, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Singapore

    Seng Chee Tan

Authors
  1. Yuh Huann Tan
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Seng Chee Tan
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Yuh Huann Tan .

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2020 Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd.

About this chapter

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this chapter

Tan, Y.H., Tan, S.C. (2020). Understanding Personal Epistemology. In: Conceptions of Knowledge Creation, Knowledge and Knowing. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-3564-2_3

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-3564-2_3

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Singapore

  • Print ISBN: 978-981-15-3563-5

  • Online ISBN: 978-981-15-3564-2

  • eBook Packages: EducationEducation (R0)

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation