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Originalarbeit

Vom Großen ins Kleine

Übertragbarkeit eines Modells der epistemischen Lebensspannenentwicklung auf den epistemischen Wandel in Kurzzeitinterventionen

Published Online:https://doi.org/10.1026/0033-3042/a000485

Zusammenfassung. Epistemische Überzeugungen (individuelle wissensbezogene Überzeugungen) haben sich als wichtiger Prädiktor des Lernerfolgs erwiesen. Es ist deswegen von immer größerem Interesse, Interventionen zu entwickeln und Faktoren zu identifizieren, die die Etablierung fortgeschrittener wissensbezogener Überzeugungen – sogenannten epistemischen Wandel – begünstigen. Allerdings ist unklar, ob klassische Stufenmodelle der Lebensspannenentwicklung epistemischer Überzeugungen sich überhaupt in ihrer bisherigen Form auf den epistemischen Wandel in Kurzzeitinterventionen übertragen lassen, oder, ob die hierbei zugrundeliegenden Prozesse grundsätzlich verschieden sind. Die vorliegende Arbeit adressiert diese Fragestellung mittels einer Analyse der Effekte epistemischer Vorüberzeugungen auf den epistemischen Wandel. Hierzu wurden Daten aus drei experimentellen Studien reanalysiert (Ngesamt = 221), welche sich der Frage widmeten, ob über die Präsentation auflösbarer Widersprüche (Resolvable Controversies) epistemischer Wandel hervorgerufen werden kann. Die Analysen zeigen, dass sich in diesen Daten für das in Entwicklungsmodellen postulierte Zusammenhangsmuster keine Evidenz findet. Vielmehr hatten absolute Vorüberzeugungen (Stufe 1) einen direkten Effekt auf den Wandel hin zu evaluativistischen Überzeugungen (Stufe 3), während multiplistische Überzeugungen (Stufe 2) diesen Wandel sogar behinderten. Evaluativistische Überzeugungen schienen jedoch ein Schutzfaktor zu sein, der einer Regression auf „naivere“ Überzeugungen entgegenwirkte. Diese Ergebnisse werden in die bestehende Forschungslandschaft eingeordnet und ihre theoretischen und praktischen Implikationen diskutiert. Eine englische Übersetzung als Rohfassung dieses Artikels finden Sie als Elektronisches Supplement 1.


Does Epistemic Change in Short-Term Interventions Adhere to Processes Outlined in Models of Long-Term Epistemic Development?

Abstract. Prior research has shown that epistemic beliefs (individual beliefs about the nature of knowledge and knowing) are closely connected to learning outcomes and multiple source use. As a consequence, an increasing number of studies aims to (1) develop intervention programs which foster advanced epistemic beliefs, and (2) identify factors that facilitate this so-called epistemic change process. However, even though the overarching aim of such research is to improve our general understanding of the epistemic change process, it is still unclear if—or to what extent—processes outlined in established stage models on long-term epistemic development also apply to intervention-related changes in epistemic beliefs. The present paper addresses this research question by investigating how prior epistemic beliefs affect changes in epistemic beliefs during a short-term intervention. For this purpose, we reanalyzed data of three experimental studies (Ntotal = 221) which examined if an intervention that presented resolvable controversies (apparently conflicting but by means of cues reconcilable knowledge claims) promoted change towards advanced epistemic beliefs. The pattern of changes found in our analyses substantially differed from the pattern of change proposed in developmental models. More specifically, prior absolute beliefs (level 1) unexpectedly fostered change towards evaluativism (level 3), while prior multiplistic beliefs (level 2) even impaired this change process. In line with our expectations, prior evaluativistic beliefs, however, prevented subjects from reverting to more ‘naïve’ epistemic positions. Practical and theoretical implications of these results are discussed.

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