Elementary School Children’s Personal Epistemology: Contributions for Exploring Dialogic Learning Environments

• In Event: Interactive Groups: Interactive Classroom Learning Environments Improving Learning for All

Abstract

Objectives

This paper addresses the question of How children’s personal epistemology is taken into account in elementary classrooms as far as teaching and learning is concerned? Theoretical and empirical contributions about children’s beliefs about knowledge and knowing reports the need to explore which learning environments are most conducive for epistemic growth in the classroom.

Theoretical framework

Research on personal epistemology has highlighted the educational relevance of students’ beliefs about knowledge and knowing (Bendixen & Feucht, 2010) and its essential role in students’ academic motivation, cognition, and performance (Bråten, 2010). The construct of personal epistemology has been widely developed through different theoretical frameworks -epistemological theories (Hofer and Pintrich, 1997), epistemological resources (Hammer and Elby, 2002) multidimensional belief system (Schommer-Aikins, 2002). Regardless of the model, empirical studies indicated that epistemic beliefs are related to learning outcomes (Cano & Cardelle-Elawar, 2008). Considering the potential implications of personal epistemology in teaching and learning (Hofer, 2001) little is known about effective learning environments to enhance children’s epistemic beliefs.

Methods and data resources

Three main databases PsycINFO, ERIC and ISI Web of knowledge were examined. Multiple combinations of eight keywords were cued into the databases: personal epistemologies, epistemological beliefs, epistemic beliefs, teaching, learning, children, elementary schools, learning environments. Any publication associated with at least two keywords which had appeared during the 30 years up to 2013 was selected. These procedures generated a total of 247 publications.

Results

- An interdisciplinary approach to study the epistemic beliefs of elementary school children provided a highly valuable framework for the study of the children's personal epistemologies in and out school learning environments.
- Children’s epistemology is framed in social processes that occur in school classrooms and in social interactions that are imbued with social trends. Children’s personal epistemology is shaped by classroom context and language classroom.
- The relationship between learning contexts and types of instruction and children’s personal epistemologies, in order to foster effective teaching and learning in more inclusive classrooms, and ultimately increase educational success has barely explored.
- Developing a deeper understanding of the appropriateness of dialogic learning environments to create more effective and inclusive epistemic classroom is still asking for more empirical data


Significance

A dialogic approach to the study of children’s personal epistemologies allows analyzing the impact of dialogue and interaction in transforming epistemic beliefs of children and their families in the school context. This is a ground-breaking contribution in Europe where research in children’s personal epistemology is scarce (Kershner & Hargreaves, 2012). Recently, the EU has funded ChiPE, a small-medium scale research project to study learning environments that are promoting inclusive epistemic climate capitalising on children and families’ funds of knowledge (González, Moll and Amanti, 2005). The innovative nature of this research lies in the fact that no academic research so far has attempted to carry out longitudinal case studies connecting dialogic learning contexts and the evolvement of classrooms epistemic climate.

Author

• Rocio Garcia-Carrion, University of Deusto