The development of epistemological beliefs among secondary students: A longitudinal study

Abstract

This article is the continuation of M. Schommer's (1993) study, in which the development of secondary students' beliefs about the nature of knowledge and learning, or epistemological beliefs, was examined. High school students (N = 69) completed an epistemological questionnaire as freshmen in 1992 and as seniors in 1995. Repeated-measures analyses revealed that their beliefs in fixed ability to learn, simple knowledge, quick learning, and certain knowledge changed as they neared the end of their 4th year in high school. In addition, the less students believed in quick learning, the better grade point average they earned. These results are consistent with a cross-sectional study (M. Schommer, 1993) establishing substantial differences in students' epistemological beliefs across the high school years and thus strengthen the case that there is development of epistemological beliefs related to learning during high school.