Analysis of Scientific Epistemological Beliefs of Eighth Graders

Abstract

The aim of this study is to determine the levels of scientific epistemological beliefs of 8th grade students. The sample of the study consisted of 355 students. The data of the study were collected through the use of the Scale of Scientific Epistemological Beliefs, which was developed by Elder (1999) and adapted into Turkish by Acat, Tuken and Karadag (2010). Personal Data Form was also used to obtain demographic data about the participants. In order to determine the levels of scientific epistemological beliefs of the students, the means and standard deviations were calculated for each scale. The findings of the study suggest that scientific epistemological beliefs of 8th grade school students are closer to sophisticated beliefs and mid-level.