ERIC Number: EJ1474198
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2025-Jun
Pages: 27
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0926-7220
EISSN: EISSN-1573-1901
Available Date: 2023-12-18
First-Year Teacher Education Students' Epistemological Beliefs about Science and History: Domain-Specific Profiles and Relationships
Science & Education, v34 n3 p1273-1299 2025
This study investigates the developmental levels of epistemological beliefs (EBs) about science and history among first-year teacher trainees (n = 146) through domain-specific questionnaires. A between-person analysis was used to examine the effect of academic studies and gender differences. Further, we employed a person-centred approach, k-means cluster analysis, to identify EB profiles for both domains. The results show that the impact of academic studies is greater on discipline-specific epistemological beliefs in history than in science, while the effect of gender is not significant in either area. We identified three EB profiles for both domains and found a significant positive correlation between the domain-specific EB profiles. A quarter of student teachers have a sophisticated profile in both science and history. Our research confirms the approach that individuals' domain-specific epistemological beliefs develop in relation to domain-general beliefs. The results, in addition to contributing to a better understanding of the development of epistemological beliefs, also carry important implications for teacher education.
Descriptors: Trainees, Science Teachers, Student Attitudes, Beliefs, Scientific Attitudes, Epistemology, Gender Differences, History Instruction, Student Teachers
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://link.springer.com/
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
Author Affiliations: 1University of Szeged, Department of Learning and Instruction, Institute of Education, Szeged, Hungary; 2University of Szeged, MTA–SZTE Digital Learning Technologies Research Group, Szeged, Hungary; 3University of Szeged, Doctoral School of Education, Szeged, Hungary