ERIC Number: EJ1425231
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2024-Jun
Pages: 25
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0256-2928
EISSN: EISSN-1878-5174
University Students' Beliefs about Science and Their Relationship with Knowledge about Science
European Journal of Psychology of Education, v39 n2 p1093-1117 2024
Science and personal experiences in some cases seem to be two different ways of knowledge justification. The current "post-truth" era is characterized by a rise of personal beliefs and justifications. In order to address these phenomena from a perspective of beliefs, several constructs may be considered: Beliefs about the utility of science and of personal experiences, trust in science, and epistemic beliefs. Despite some research addressing each belief's independent relation to information seeking behavior, we do not know much about the interrelationship of these beliefs. To address this research gap and to explore whether knowledge about how science works is related to these beliefs, a paper-pencil study with 315 university students of psychology, education, and teacher education was conducted. There was a high positive relationship of trust in science with justification-by-authority beliefs, and medium negative relationships of trust in science with uncertainty beliefs and personal-justification beliefs. Trust in science was positively related to the perceived utility of science. Epistemic beliefs were also related to utility beliefs. The number of methods courses taken and knowledge about how science works was related to trust in science and epistemic beliefs, but not to utility of science or utility of personal experiences. It is concluded that we should revisit our conceptualization of epistemic beliefs in the context of "post-truth".
Descriptors: College Students, Student Attitudes, Beliefs, Scientific Attitudes, Trust (Psychology), Sciences, Epistemology
Springer. Available from: Springer Nature. One New York Plaza, Suite 4600, New York, NY 10004. Tel: 800-777-4643; Tel: 212-460-1500; Fax: 212-460-1700; e-mail: customerservice@springernature.com; Web site: https://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2123/
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Data File: URL: https://osf.io/tsh2j/