An Analysis of the Relationship between Pre-Service Secondary Mathematics Teachers' Epistemological Beliefs, Educational Beliefs, and Critical Thinking Dispositions

Oct 15, 2026

This study identifies pre-service secondary mathematics teachers’ epistemological beliefs about learning, their educational beliefs, and critical thinking dispositions, and examines relationships among these constructs. A relational survey design with 152 pre-service teachers employed EBStL, EPTS, and MCTDS. Findings show above-average epistemological beliefs and critical thinking dispositions, with progressive and reconstructivist tendencies. Epistemological beliefs vary by grade level but not gender, academic achievement, or parents’ education, while educational beliefs vary by gender and grade level. Results confirm positive significant links between epistemological beliefs and critical thinking with progressivism and reconstructionism, and explain key dimensions across constructs.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages43

Reading Time1 h 48 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

Epistemology and epistemological beliefs

Prior research on epistemological beliefs

Research design and measures

Relational survey model and participants

Data collection instruments

Findings and discussion

Descriptive results and tendencies

Group differences across variables

Relationships and explanatory patterns

An Analysis of the Relationship between Pre-Service Secondary Mathematics Teachers'Epistemological Beliefs towards Learning, their Educational Beliefs, and Critical Thinking Dispositions Yasemin ABALI ÖZTÜRK1 Çanakkale Onsekiz Mart University Abstract This study attempts to identify the pre-service secondary mathematics teachers’ epistemological beliefs towards learning, their educational beliefs, and critical thinking dispositions as well as the relationship between them. A relational survey model was employed and the study group consisted of 152 pre-service teachers. The study used Epistemological Beliefs Scale towards Learning (EBStL), The Educational Philosophy Tendencies Scale (EPTS), and Marmara Critical Thinking Dispositions Scale (MCTDS) as data collection tools. The results suggested that pre-service secondary mathematics teachers’ epistemological beliefs and critical thinking dispositions were above the average value. Moreover, they were found to have progressive and reconstructivist tendencies. The results also revealed that the pre-service secondary mathematics teachers’ epistemological beliefs towards learning did not differ across their gender, academic achievement, parents’ educational level while significantly differed in terms of their grade level. The pre-service secondary mathematics’teachers’ educational beliefs significantly varied across their gender, grade level while that was not the case for their academic achievement and parents’ educational level. Besides, the results confirmed positive and significant relationships between the pre-service teachers’ epistemological beliefs towards learning and their critical thinking disposition levels and progressivism, further positive and significant relationships were noted between the critical thinking dispositions and progressivism, reconstructionism and perennialism. Progressivism was found to be explained by epistemological beliefs towards learning and critical thinking dispositions; reconstructionism was found to be explained by critical thinking disposition; epistemological beliefs towards learning was determined to be explained by progressivism and critical thinking disposition, and critical thinking dispositions were identified to be explained by reconstructionism and perennialism Keywords: Epistemological Belief, Educational Beliefs, Critical Thinking Dispositions, Pre-Service Secondary Mathematics Teachers DOI: 10.29329/epasr.2022.442.8 1 Assist. Prof. Dr., Faculty of Education, Canakkale Onsekiz Mart University, Canakkale, Türkiye, ORCID ID: 0000-0003- 1961-0557, [Correspondence:](Correspondence: yaseminzeren1979@gmail.com)[ yaseminzeren1979@gmail.com](Correspondence: yaseminzeren1979@gmail.com) Introduction Since the day of their existence, human beings have wondered about their own existence and that of the universe by constantly questioning, searching, and producing new knowledge. This knowledge was insufficient to satisfy their curiosity and hence, they started to query the source, limits, meaning, and value of the obtained knowledge. These inquiries related to knowledge led to the emergence of the field of "epistemology", one of the fields of philosophy (Dorsah et al., 2020; Hofer & Pintrich, 1997) . Epistemology seeks for giving replies to the questions regarding the possibility, the source, the field, scope/limits, and the rationality of knowledge within the framework of nature of knowledge. What is meant by the nature of knowledge here is how the person knows, where the source of knowledge is, whether knowledge is definite/objective or subjective, what the structure of knowledge is, and how knowledge is learned and controlled (Schommer, 1990) . This has led to the emergence of individuals' beliefs about the nature of knowledge, namely the concept of"epistemological belief" . Epistemological belief refers to the individual's acceptances, namely the beliefs by the nature, accuracy, source, and structure of knowledge, how knowl

FAQs

What is the main purpose of the study?

The study examines pre-service secondary mathematics teachers’ epistemological beliefs about learning, educational beliefs, critical thinking dispositions, and how these factors relate to each other.

Which instruments were used to collect data?

The study used the Epistemological Beliefs Scale towards Learning (EBStL), The Educational Philosophy Tendencies Scale (EPTS), and the Marmara Critical Thinking Dispositions Scale (MCTDS).

What key group differences were reported?

Epistemological beliefs about learning did not differ by gender, academic achievement, or parents’ educational level, but differed significantly by grade level. Educational beliefs varied significantly by gender and grade level, not by academic achievement or parents’ educational level.

How are the constructs related, according to the results?

Positive significant relationships were found between epistemological beliefs about learning and critical thinking dispositions with progressivism, and between critical thinking dispositions and progressivism, reconstructionism, and perennialism. Progressivism and reconstructionism were also reported as being explained by specific combinations of epistemological beliefs and critical thinking dispositions.

Oct 15, 2026

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