The Development of Epistemological Theories: Beliefs About Knowledge and Knowing and Their Relation to Learning
Abstract
There have been a number of research programs that have investigated students’ thinking and beliefs about the nature of knowledge and knowing, including definitions of knowledge, how knowledge is constructed, and how knowledge is evaluated. However, these different research programs have pursued varying definitions and conceptual frameworks and used quite different methodologies to examine students’ epistemological beliefs and thinking. In the first section of this article, we provide a critical and comprehensive review of these different research programs. In the second part of this article, we identify nine crucial theoretical and methodological issues that need to be resolved in future research on epistemological theories. As these issues are addressed in future research, there will be more consensus regarding the nature of epistemological theories, and their relation to cognition, motivation, and learning will be made more explicit.
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Epistemic beliefs govern whether practitioners interrogate an AI output or defer to it.
“Epistemic beliefs, the assumptions practitioners hold about the nature, source, and justification of knowledge (Hofer & Pintrich, 1997), govern whether they interrogate an AI output or defer to it.”
From The Tragedy of the Cognitive Commons: How AI Could Disrupt the Regeneration of Professional Expertise (2026) · cites this paper as Hofer & Pintrich, 1997
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- Authors
- Hofer, B. K., & Pintrich, P. R.
- Affiliations
- University of Michigan (US)
- ORCID
- Hofer, Barbara K.
- Venue
- Review of Educational Research
- Published
- 1997-03
- Volume
- 67
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 88-140
- ISSN
- 0034-6543 (ISSN-L)
- 1935-1046
- OpenAlex
- W2114994015
- Cited by
- 3,181
- References
- 8
- Citations by year
- 2026: 158 · 2025: 99 · 2024: 100 · 2023: 130 · 2022: 163 · 2021: 177 · 2020: 172 · 2019: 121 · 2018: 133 · 2017: 162 · 2016: 153 · 2015: 163 · 2014: 193 · 2013: 140 · 2012: 136
- FWCI
- 51.93
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Review of Educational Research (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Developmental and Educational Psychology › Educational Strategies and Epistemologies
- Social Sciences › Arts and Humanities › Philosophy › Epistemology, Ethics, and Metaphysics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Developmental and Educational Psychology › Innovative Teaching and Learning Methods
- Keywords
- epistemological beliefs, epistemological theory, definitions of knowledge, knowledge construction, knowledge assessment, student thinking, learning, motivation, cognition, research program evaluation
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