Culture and Personal Epistemology: U.S. and Middle Eastern Students’ beliefs about Scientific Knowledge and Knowing (original) (raw)
Abstract
Middle Eastern (Omani) and Western (U.S.) students’ beliefs about knowledge and knowing in the sciences were compared on four dimensions of personal epistemology proposed by Hofer and Pintrich (Review of Educational Research (1997), 67, 88–140). As predicted, given their experiences with comparatively traditional political and religious institutions, Omani more so than U.S. college students were more likely to accept scientific authorities as the basis of scientific truth. Furthermore, Omani men were more accepting of authorities than were Omani women, but there was no gender difference among U.S. students. Omani more than U.S. students also believed that knowledge in the sciences was simpler and more certain, which is consistent with comparisons between U.S. and Asian students (e.g., Qian & Pan, 2002, A comparision of epistemological beliefs and learning from science text between American and Chinese high school students. In B. K. Hofer & P. R. Pintrich (Eds.), Personal epistomology: The psychology of beliefs about knowledge and knowing (pp. 365–385), Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum). Students in the two countries did not differ, however, in whether their beliefs were based on personal opinions versus systematic evidence. Suggestions for further research included directly assessing experiences with, and attitudes toward, authorities in academic and other areas of students’ lives.
Access this article
Subscribe and save
- Starting from 10 chapters or articles per month
- Access and download chapters and articles from more than 300k books and 2,500 journals
- Cancel anytime View plans
Buy Now
Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.
Instant access to the full article PDF.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
- P.A. Alexander F.J. Douchy (1995)ArticleTitleConceptions of knowledge and beliefs: a comparison across varying cultural and educational communities_American Educational Research Journal_ 32 413–442
Google Scholar - B. Altemeyer B. Hunsberger (1992)ArticleTitleAuthoritarianism, religious fundamentalism, quest, and prejudice_International Journal for the Psychology of Religion_ 2 113–133
Google Scholar - Al-Salhi, A.S. (2001). Epistemological beliefs among Saudi college students. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, University of Northern Colorado.
- M.B. Baxter-Magolda (1992) Knowing and reasoning in college: Gender-related patterns in students’ intellectual development Jossey Bass San Francisco
Google Scholar - M.B. Baxter-Magolda (2004)ArticleTitleEvolution of a constructivist conceptualization of epistemological reflection_Educational Psychologist_ 39 IssueID1 31–42
Google Scholar - M.F. Belenky B.M. Clinchy M.R. Goldberger J.M. Tarule (1986) Women’s ways of knowing Basic Books New York
Google Scholar - B.M. Clinchy (2002) Revisiting women’s ways of knowing B.K. Hofer P. R. Pintrich (Eds) Personal epistemology: The psychology of beliefs about knowledge and knowing. Erlbaum Mahwah, NJ 63–87
Google Scholar - K. Chan R.G. Elliott (2002)ArticleTitleExploratory study of Hong Kong teacher education students’ epistemological beliefs: Cultural perspectives and implications on beliefs research_Contemporary Educational Psychology_ 27 392–414Occurrence Handle10.1006/ceps.2001.1102
Article Google Scholar - N.T. Feather (1993)ArticleTitleDevaluing achievement within a culture: Measuring the cultural cringe_Australian Journal of Psychology_ 45 IssueID3 182–188
Google Scholar - N.T. Feather I.R. McKee (1993)ArticleTitleGlobal self-esteem and attitudes toward the high achiever for Australian and Japanese students_Social Psychology Quarterly_ 56 IssueID1 65–76
Google Scholar - B.K. Hofer (2000)ArticleTitleDimensionality and disciplinary differences in personal epistemology_Contemporary Educational Psychology_ 25 IssueID4 378–405Occurrence Handle10.1006/ceps.1999.1026
Article Google Scholar - B.K. Hofer (2002) Personal epistemology as a psychological and educational construct: An introduction P.R. Pintrich (Eds) Personal epistemology: The psychology of beliefs about knowledge and knowing. Erlbaum Mahwah, NJ 3–13
Google Scholar - B.K. Hofer (2004)ArticleTitleEpistemological understanding as a metacognitive process: Thinking aloud during online searching_Educational Psychologist_ 39 43–55
Google Scholar - B.K. Hofer P.R. Pintrich (1997)ArticleTitleThe development of epistemological theories: Beliefs about knowledge and knowing and their relation to learning_Review of Educational Research_ 67 88–140
Google Scholar - B.K. Hofer P.R. Pintrich (Eds) (2002) Personal epistemology: The psychology of beliefs about knowledge and knowing Erlbaum Mahwah, NJ
Google Scholar - Jacobson, M.J., Jehng, J., & Maouri, C. (1997, April). The cultural and domain specificity of epistemological beliefs: A cross-cultural comparison of Taiwanese and American university students. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association, New York.
- L. Mason M. Castiglioni (2000)ArticleTitleStudents’ beliefs about the nature and acquisition of knowledge_An application of the Epistemic beliefs Inventory. Ricerche di Psicologia_ 24 165–188
Google Scholar - T.M. McDevitt E.P. Sheehan J.B. Cooney T. Smith B. Walker (1994)ArticleTitleConceptions of listening, learning processes, and epistemologies held by American, Irish, and Australian university students_Learning & Individual Differences_ 6 IssueID2 231–256
Google Scholar - R.E. Nisbett (2003) The geography of thought The Free Press New York
Google Scholar - Oman Ministry of Higher Education (2002). Book of Statistics 2001–2002, vol. 4. Muscat, Oman Ministry of Higher Education.
- W.G. Perry (1970) Forms of intellectual and ethical development in the college years Nolt, Rinehart and Winston New York
Google Scholar - G. Qian J. Pan (2002) A comparison of epistemological beliefs and learning from science text between American and Chinese high school students B. K. Hofer P. R. Pintrich (Eds) Personal epistemology: The psychology of beliefs about knowledge and knowing Erlbaum Mahwah, NJ 365–385
Google Scholar - S. Rassekh (2004) Education as a motor for development: Recent education reforms in Oman with particular reference to the status of women and girls International Bureau of Education Switzerland
Google Scholar - A. Raviv D. Bar-Tal A. Raviv (2003)ArticleTitleTeachers’ epistemic authority: Perceptions of students and teachers_Social Psychology of Education_ 5 IssueID1 17–42
Google Scholar - M. Schommer (1990)ArticleTitleEffects of beliefs about the nature of knowledge on comprehension_Journal of Educational Psychology_ 82 498–504Occurrence Handle10.1037/0022-0663.82.3.498
Article Google Scholar - M. Schommer-Aikins (2002) An evolving theoretical framework for an epistemological belief system B.K. Hofer P.R. Pintrich (Eds) Personal epistemology: The psychology of beliefs about knowledge and knowing. Erlbaum Mahwah NJ 103–118
Google Scholar - M. Schommer-Aikins (2004)ArticleTitleExplaining the epistemological belief system: Introducing the embedded systemic model and coordinated research approach_Educational Psychologist_ 39 IssueID1 19–29Occurrence Handle10.1207/s15326985ep3901_3
Article Google Scholar - Strommer, D.W. (2001, May 29). Advising across cultures. The Mentor: An Academic Advising Journal, 3(2). Retrieved February 15, 2005 from http://www.psu.edu/dus/mentor.
- H.C. Triandis (1995) Individualism and collectivism Westview Boulder, CO
Google Scholar - F. VijverParticlevan de K. Leung (1997) Method and data analysis for cross-cultural research Sage Thousand Oaks, CA
Google Scholar - S. Volet S. Järvelä (2001) Motivation in learning contexts: Theoretical advances and methodological implications Pargamon Amsterdam
Google Scholar - I. Youn (1997) The culture specificity of epistemological beliefs about learning University of Missouri Columbia
Google Scholar - I. Youn (2000)ArticleTitleThe culture specificity of epistemological beliefs about learning_Asian Journal of Social Psychology_ 3 87–105Occurrence Handle10.1111/1467-839X.00056
Article Google Scholar
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
- Combined Program in Education and Psychology, 1400D School of Education Building, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA
Stuart A. Karabenick - College of Education, Sultan Qaboos University, Muscat, Oman
Samira Moosa
Authors
- Stuart A. Karabenick
- Samira Moosa
Corresponding author
Correspondence toStuart A. Karabenick.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Karabenick, S.A., Moosa, S. Culture and Personal Epistemology: U.S. and Middle Eastern Students’ beliefs about Scientific Knowledge and Knowing.Soc Psychol Educ 8, 375–393 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11218-005-1826-3
- Issue date: November 2005
- DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11218-005-1826-3