This document discusses a study that aimed to identify sources of knowledge for first-year students entering a gateway science course. Researchers interviewed 8 students to understand their epistemic beliefs and sources of knowledge. They found students drew knowledge from perceptual, memorial, deductive, inductive, and testimony-based sources. The researchers provided 10 recommendations for science instructors, including assessing students' epistemologies and ways of knowing, using evidence-based teaching methods to promote conceptual understanding and sophisticated epistemic beliefs, and employing authentic science activities and social learning tools.

1. “Sources of knowledge”
for students entering a
gateway science course
Ahmed Ibrahim, McGill University, Montreal, Canada
Calvin Kalman, Concordia University, Montreal, Canada
Marina Milner-Bolotin, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada
June 18th, 2013

2. Background

3. Epistemic beliefs
Justification
of K
Sophistication
of K
Certainty
of K
Sources
of K
Attainability
of Truth
Epistemic
Beliefs

4. Sources of knowledge
DeductiveIntrospective
Perceptual
Memorial Inductive
Sources
Testimony

5. Objective
‣ Identify students’
sources of
knowledge
‣ Understand the
nature of students’
sources of
knowledge

6. Method
Sample Procedure Measures
‣ 8 students
‣ 1st year
‣ Interview
‣ Theory-
based
coding
‣ Sources of
knowledge
‣ Sources of
physics
knowledge

7. Results

8. Results

9. ‣ Recommendation # 1
‣ Assess students’
epistemologies

10. ‣ Recommendation # 2
‣ Assess students’ ways
of knowing (sources of
knowledge)

11. ‣ Recommendation # 3
‣ Use methods that
promote conceptual
understanding &
sophisticated
epistemological beliefs

12. ‣ Recommendation # 4
‣ Use TEE tools that have
been shown to promote
students’ knowledge,
and meta-knowledge

13. ‣ Recommendation # 5
‣ Use assessment
methods that evaluate
epistemological beliefs

14. ‣ Recommendation # 6
‣ Use learning
environments that
promote deep
knowledge
understanding

15. ‣ Recommendation # 7
‣ Use authentic science
activities to promote
acquiring knowledge

16. ‣ Recommendation # 8
‣ Online courses, and
MOOCs should go
beyond teaching
content knowledge

17. ‣ Recommendation # 9
‣ Use social learning
tools that promote
collaborative learning,
and knowledge building

18. ‣ Recommendation # 10
‣ Use evidence-based
methods grounded in
theory and research

19. Q&A

20. Thank
you