THE INVESTIGATION OF MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENTS’ EPISTEMOLOGICAL BELIEFS AND THEIR ATTITUDES TOWARD PROBLEM SOLVING - THE SAMPLE OF RURAL AREA

Oct 15, 2026

The study examines epistemological beliefs of middle school students in rural areas and their attitudes toward solving mathematical problems, considering gender and class-level variables. It also tests whether epistemological beliefs predict students’ attitudes toward mathematical problem solving. Data were collected from 435 students in three state schools using a personal data form, a mathematics problem-solving attitude scale, and an epistemological beliefs scale. Nonparametric analyses were applied due to non-normal distributions. Results indicate no gender differences, while class level shows a decline, and regression confirms epistemological beliefs as a significant predictor.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages12

Reading Time30 min

AccessFree to download

1. Introduction

Epistemology and epistemological beliefs

Problem solving and mathematics education

THE INVESTIGATION OF MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENTS’ EPISTEMOLOGICAL BELIEFS AND THEIR ATTITUDES TOWARD PROBLEM SOLVING: THE SAMPLE OF RURAL AREA Kemal Özgen, Mehmet Aydın, Recep Dinç, İdris Şeker, Yasemin Alkan Abstract: The purpose of this study was to examine the epistemological beliefs of middle school students in rural area and their attitudes toward solving mathematical problems according to gender and class level variables. It was also necessary to determine whether the epistemological beliefs of middle school students in rural area had predicted their attitudes toward mathematical problem solving. The research was carried out using the survey model, which is one of the descriptive research methods. The participants of the survey consisted of 435 middle school students in three state schools in a large provincial rural area. Personal data form, mathematics problem solving attitude scale and epistemological beliefs scale were used as data collection tools. Nonparametric tests were used when the data were analyzed since they did not show normal distribution. According to the results obtained, mathematical problem-solving attitude and epistemological beliefs did not differ according to gender. It was also observed that the mathematical problem-solving attitude and epistemological beliefs of students had decreased according to class level. According to the results of the regression analysis, epistemological belief was found to be a significant predictor for mathematical problem solving. Key words: Attitude, epistemological belief, middle school students, problem solving, rural area 1. Introduction Ever since human beings existed, they have wondered about the world they live in and are constantly searching for knowledge. They later arranged and classified the knowledge they had previously gathered randomly. The classification of this knowledge has led to many scientific fields. Various researches have been done in many scientific fields such as mathematics, science and social sciences, and the new knowledge have been added to existing knowledge. As well as knowledge, people have also interested in perspectives, beliefs, and attitudes to knowledge. This curiosity to knowledge and to know has established the formation of philosophy of knowledge. The term epistemology was formed through the combination of Greek “episteme”(information) and“logia”(science/ theory) . Epistemology, which means information philosophy as the word meaning, is a field of study that deals with questions such as what information is, what are the resources for, how people know, and mainly information (Deryakulu, 2014) . In other words, we can tell that epistemology investigates the nature of the information and how is formed. Epistemological beliefs can be described as personal beliefs of individuals about what information is, how the learning occurs on the whole (Hofer & Pintrich, 1997) . The conducted researches indicated that epistemological beliefs have important effects in learning and teaching procedure as one of the fields of individual differences. So, in recent years, psychologists and educators have increasingly shown an interest in the epistemological development and beliefs of individuals (Deryakulu, 2014) . Based on the definition given above, we can say that epistemological belief is the perspective of an individual to the knowledge. The perspective of knowledge can also effects thinking skills on knowledge, knowledge learning skills of people. One of the most important of these skills is problemsolving skills. The influence of epistemological beliefs of an individual on learning and teaching processes suggests that it may also have an impact on problem-solving ability, which is an indication of an effective learning process. According to Öngen (2003), beliefs of individuals on knowledge and learning (epistemological beliefs) influence their mental processes and the strategies they decide to use against complex problems, and

FAQs

What variables does the study consider for analyzing students’ problem-solving attitudes?

The study analyzes attitudes toward mathematical problem solving based on gender and class level variables.

Do epistemological beliefs and problem-solving attitudes differ by gender?

No. The results show mathematical problem-solving attitude and epistemological beliefs did not differ according to gender.

How are epistemological beliefs related to students’ mathematical problem-solving attitudes?

Regression analysis indicates that epistemological belief is a significant predictor of mathematical problem solving, supporting a predictive relationship.

Oct 15, 2026

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