Epistemological Beliefs and Self-Directedness in Learning of South Korean Middle School Students
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Epistemological Beliefs and Self-Directedness in Learning of South Korean Middle School Students Jungsoon Choi • Eun Ah Park
Ó De La Salle University 2013
Abstract This study is an investigation of the epistemological beliefs of South Korean middle school students and their relation to self-directedness in learning. A total of 700 students from seven middle schools participated in the survey. The result revealed the four dimensions of epistemological beliefs (i.e., Learning Effort/Process, Authority/ Expert Knowledge, Innate/Fixed Ability, and Certainty of Knowledge). All of the epistemological dimensions are significantly related to self-directedness in learning. Korean middle school students in general tended to value ‘‘Learning Effort/Process’’ but did not rely on ‘‘Authority/Expert Knowledge.’’ In contrast to the previous research results, self-directed learners were more likely to believe in certainty of knowledge. The results of this current study also included epistemological differences by grade, gender, and top and bottom SDL scores. Implications of this study for teaching practice to improve students’ SDL are discussed. Keywords Epistemological beliefs Self-directedness in learning Self-directed learning Middle school education Korean curriculum
Introduction Self-directedness in learning (SDL) is described as ‘‘a process in which individuals take the initiative, with or without the help of others, in diagnosing their learning needs, formulating learning goals, identifying human and material resources for learning, choosing and implementing J. Choi (&) E. A. Park Korea Institute for Curriculum and Evaluation, Seoul, South Korea e-mail: [email protected]
appropriate learning strategies and evaluating learning outcomes’’ (Knowles 1975, p. 18). SDL which had begun in adult education has been tried as an instructional method with learners in elementary and secondary schools. Since people need to educate themselves to be competitive in a continuously changing society, students are urged to acquire the habit of voluntary and self-motivated learning (Garrison 1997). These needs draw educators’ attention to increasing students’ accountability for learning and designing lessons to foster students’ SDL. In recent years, the curriculum of South Korea (hereafter, Korea) have emphasized creative thinking and self-directed learning, and Korean educators have made efforts to develop SDL programs for students (e.g., Heo 2010; Jung et al. 2010; Seo and Kim 2012). In particular, during the middle grade years, students go through a qualitative change. They become capable of understanding complicated abstract concepts, carrying out sophisticated learning strategies, and conducting learning tasks on their own (Thomas 1993). The middle grade years are a good period of time for students to build up a foundation of selfdirected learning ability (Brown 2002). In the light of raising students’ SDL, a growing body of research has focused on students’ epistemological beliefs (EBs)—personal beliefs about knowledge and lea
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