good day everyone we are going to discuss about the epistemological beliefs let's start with what is epistemology so when we say epistemology this refers to the theory of knowledge especially with regard to its methods the validity and scope and the distinction between Justified beliefs and opinion so when we see epistemology it's not just merely beliefs but these are specifically Justified beliefs so it does not only capture the uh simply with the study or the relationship of a person with the study but also it in also includes the nature the scope the limitations of knowledge of a person which um enables the person to ground their personal Reflections also Al epistemology k um talks about the relationship between the mind and um the difference of the mind and the reality exploring um how we ex acquire how we justify and also how we understand our beliefs about the world around us so there was a an expert who said that um epistemology is not just merely about the acquisition of knowledge but also about the understanding on how the process of knowledge acquisition the word epistemology is derived from the Greek epistemy which means knowledge and lus which means reason and as I have said a while ago um epistemology is referred to as the theory of knowledge and when I say epistemological beliefs these are the cognitions or the understandings of individuals they have a knowledge and knowing determine how knowledge is perceived and processed again um epistemology does not only focus on individuals having understanding about certain things but but also um it includes how an individual process a certain idea or a certain belief on how he acquired such information epistemological beliefs are important predictors for the quality of reflective thinking processes that is according to Fisher in 2014 and thus may play an important role and the ability con to construct a scientific explanation so um according to this statement epistemological beliefs are also essential in terms of the learning process of a student because it enables them to think or to have a reflective thinking or to have a self-reflection so the epistemological beliefs can play an important role in shaping the educational practices and by understanding the core topics and epistemology teachers or the Educators or the C curriculum makers can enhance their instructional strategies to create or to f a more um inquiry driven approach to learning to um more student centered learning approach say for example by understanding this kinds of knowledge can help the Educators or the teachers to encourage students to question and belief and engage in critical thinking what um if I'm not mistaken it was Dr Samuel Thomson he said that by introducing epistemology inside the classroom or in the classroom setting uh teachers or the Educators can able students to um question their assumptions to explore more alternative viewpoints and also to construct um more accurate or uh let's say well-founded beliefs and because of that uh this can allow for more personalized and effective teaching approaches let's say for another example a teacher can adopt or may adopt a lesson plan based on the basic beliefs or the prior knowledge of their students which may or which will lead to the increase of relevance and effectiveness of the instruction of the teachers inside the classroom uh there was a study that was um published in the Journal of educational psychology which uh states that students who were taught to understand and question their beliefs and knowledge exhibited a 30% increase in their learning outcomes so by allowing the students to think critically because of the support of the epistemological or the concept of epistemological beliefs again it increases the learning outcomes of the students as supported by that study by applying or by integrating the varied views and epistemological beliefs and incorporating those beliefs into the teaching methodologies of teachers and Educators in the classroom setting um it cannot only enrich The Learning Experience of the students but also enhance their students critical thinking abilities and also the overall academic performance of the students by that uh we can or Educators can nurture a generation of Learners who are not just um information consumers or information users but also uh Discerning or by making knowledge creators types of students today in the 21st Century Learning we are more student centered than before so um applying epistemological beliefs is um already as easier because we're already providing our students more real world examples and by giving them these examples um it can make epistemological Concepts more tangible and relevant to the students and now I'll be discussing the tools used to assess the assigned effective Target of epistemological beliefs epistemological beliefs uh refers to an IND ual's approach towards knowledge including how knowledge is required Justified and structured the here are some uh tools commonly used to assess epistemological beliefs so the first is epistemological beliefs questioner this questioner developed by hoofer and pin 1997 uh assesses individual's beliefs about the nature of knowledge uh the rule of evidence and the justification of claims of knowledge so it consist uh of several subskills including structure certainty and Source respondents are asked to rate their agreement with various statements related to the subskills on a lier skill the ebq provides a valuable insight ites into individuals epistemological beliefs and can help Educators and researchers understand understand how these beliefs influence learning and teaching practices and the second one is epistemological beliefs about mathematics so this instrument developed by Mo beer and spu 2006 focuses specifically on individual's beliefs about mathematics so it assesses beliefs related to the nature of mathematics the rule of proof and the importance of understanding versus memorization respondents are asked about uh uh respondents are asked to rate their agreement with various statements related to these aspects on a Liker scale so the ebm provides insights about or provide insights into individuals uh belief about mathematics and can help also Educators and researchers understand how these beliefs influence learning and teaching practices into mathematics the third one epistemological beliefs about science this instrument uh developed by letter man Abdul Cal and B 2002 assesses individuals beliefs about the nature of science the rule of evidence and the importance of several subskills including uh empir empirism rationalism and constructivism respondents are asked to rate their agreement with various statements related to these subskills on ler skills uh the EB the EBS provides insights into individual's beliefs about science and can help Educators and researchers to understand these beliefs influence learning and teaching practices in science and the last one is epistemological beliefs about teaching and learning this instrument developed by Schumer Amman D and Hara 2010 assesses individual's beliefs about teaching and learning including including the rule of teacher the importance of student participation and the use of technology in in the classroom the respondents are asked to rate their agreement with various um various statements related this to these aspects on Lang scale the the EBT provides insight into individual's beliefs about teaching and learning and can help educator and researchers understand how these beliefs influence learning and teaching practices in various uh educational CS utilizing and interpreting effective assessment results of epistemological beliefs in teaching and learning utilizing the results first we have identifying dominant beliefs analyze the data to see if students tend towards a fixed mindset or a growth mindset are they comfortable with ambiguity or do they crave certainty so this analysis helps Educators understand student approaches to learning a student with a fixed mindset might get discouraged by challenges while a growth mindset student sees them as opportunities to learn students with low ambiguity tolerance might benefit from Clear instructions and rubrics while those comfortable with ambiguity might thrive in open ended projects by identifying these beliefs Educators can tailor their teaching styles to better support student learning next is tailoring instruction based on the dominant beliefs adopt your teaching style for students with a fixed mindset emphasize effort and the process of learning for those with a growth mindset encourag exploration and questioning by understanding your students beliefs you can create a learning environment that Fosters growth and prepares them for the complexities of the real world next is promoting reflection use open-ended questions or journaling prompts to encourage students to reflect on their own beliefs about learning this selfawareness can Empower them to become more strategic Learners formative assessment tools use effective assessment results alongside cognitive assessments to get a more holistic picture of student learning allow written responses or small group discussions to encourage participation without overwhelming the student encourage journaling about learning experiences and frustrations considering the context it includes assessment instrument the way a question is raised or the format of the assessment can influence responses for example a multiple choice survey might not capture the full complexity of student beliefs compared to an open-ended Journal prompt next is subject matter students might have different mindsets or Comfort levels depending on the subject lastly is current mood it also affects the students emotional state and can affect their responses looking for Trends while individual responses can offer valuable insights it's the overall patterns within the class data that reveal dominant beliefs look for Trends in survey responses recurring themes in journaling entries or consistent observations during class activities avoiding oversimplification a student might have a growth mindset in math but a fixed mindset in history they might be comfortable with ambiguity in some situations but not others the goal isn't to label students but to understand the range of beliefs and preferences within your class combine quantitative data like surveys multiple choice questions or exit tickets with qualitative data through open-ended responses interviews observations or journaling prompts to get a deeper understanding of student thinking