Personal epistemology and mathematics: A critical review and synthesis of research

Review of Educational Research

Volumn 74, Issue 3, 2004, Pages 317-377

  Muis, Krista R ^a,b  

^a SIMON FRASER UNIVERSITY   (Canada)

^b UNLV College of Education   (United States)

Author keywords

Beliefs about mathematics; Epistemology; Knowledge; Learning

Indexed keywords

EID: 10044270855     PISSN: 00346543     EISSN: None     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.3102/00346543074003317     Document Type: Review

References (120)

1. Arner, D. G. (1972). Perception, reason, and knowledge: An introduction to epistemology. Glenview, IL: Scott, Foresman.
2. Audi, R. (1999). The Cambridge dictionary of philosophy (2nd ed.). New York: Cambridge University Press.
3. Bandura, A. (1997). Self-efficacy: The exercise of control. New York: Freeman.
4. Bartlett, F. C. (1932). Remembering: A study in experimental and social psychology. New York: Cambridge University Press.
5. Bauersfeld, H. (1980). Hidden dimensions in the so-called reality of a mathematics classroom. Educational Studies in Mathematics, 11, 23-41.
6. Bauersfeld, H. (1988). Interaction, construction, and knowledge: Alternative perspectives for mathematics education. In T. Cooney & D. Grouws (Eds.), Effective mathematics teaching (pp. 27-46). Reston, VA: National Council of Teachers of Mathematics.
7. Bauersfeld, H. (1993). Teachers' pre and in-service education for mathematics teaching. Montreal: University of Quebec.
8. Belenky, M., Clinchy, B., Goldberger, N., & Tarule, J. (1986). Women's ways of knowing: The development of self, voice, and mind. New York: Basic Books.
9. Bendixen, L. D. (2002). A process model of epistemic belief change. In B. K. Hofer & P. R. Pintrich (Eds.), Personal epistemology: The psychology of beliefs about knowledge and knowing (pp. 191-208). Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.
10. Biglan, A. (1973). The characteristics of subject matter in different academic areas. Journal of Applied Psychology, 57, 195-203.
11. Blumer, H. (1969). Symbolic interactionism. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall.
12. Brown, A., Bransford, J., Ferrara, R., & Campione, J. (1983). Learning, remembering, and understanding. In P. Mussen (Series Ed.) and J. Flavell & E. Markman (Eds.), Handbook of child psychology: Vol. 3. Cognitive development (pp. 77-166). New York: Wiley.
13. Brown, C. A., Carpenter, T. P., Kouba, V. L., Lindquist, M. M., Silver, E. A., & Swafford, J. O. (1988). Secondary school results for the fourth NAEP mathematics assessment: Algebra, geometry, mathematical methods, and attitudes. Mathematics Teacher, 81, 337-347, 397.
14. Brown, J. S., Collins, A., & Duguid, P. (1989). Situated cognition and the culture of learning. Educational Researcher, 18(1), 32-42.
15. Buehl, M. M., Alexander, P. A., & Murphy, P. K. (2002). Beliefs about schooled knowledge: Domain specific or domain general? Contemporary Educational Psychology, 27, 415-449.
16. Carter, C. S., & Yackel, E. (1989, April). A constructivist perspective on the relationship between mathematical beliefs and emotional acts. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association, San Francisco.
17. Chi, M., Feltovich, P., & Glaser, R. (1981). Categorization and representation of physics problems by experts and novices. Cognitive Science, 5, 121-152.
18. Cobb, P. (1986). Contexts, goals, beliefs, and learning mathematics. For the Learning of Mathematics, 6, 2-9.
19. Cobb, P. (1989). Experiential, cognitive, and anthropological perspectives in mathematics education. For the Learning of Mathematics, 9, 32-42.
20. Cobb, P. (1996). Where is the mind? A coordination of sociocultural and cognitive constructivist perspectives. In C. T. Fosnot (Ed.), Constructivism: Theory, perspectives, and practice (pp. 34-52). New York: Teachers College Press.
21. Cobb, P., & Yackel, E. (1998). A constructivist perspective on the culture of the mathematics classroom. In F. Seeger, J. Voigt, & U. Waschescio (Eds.), The culture of the mathematics classroom (pp. 158-190). New York: Cambridge University Press.
22. Cobb, P., Yackel, E., & Wood, T. (1989). Young children's emotional acts during mathematical problem solving. In D. B. McLeod & V. M. Adams (Eds.), Affect and mathematical problem solving: A new perspective (pp. 117-148). New York: Springer-Verlag.
23. De Corte, E., Op 't Eynde, P., & Verschaffel, L. (2002). "Knowing what to believe": The relevance of students' mathematical beliefs for mathematics education. In B. K. Hofer & P. R. Pintrich (Eds.), Personal epistemology: The psychology of beliefs about knowledge and knowing (pp. 297-320). Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.
24. Diaz-Obando, E., Plasencia-Cruz, I., & Solano-Alvarado, A. (2003). The impact of beliefs in students' learning: An investigation with students of two different contexts. International Journal of Mathematical Education in Science and Technology, 34, 161-173.
25. Doyle, W. (1988). Work in mathematics classes: The context of students' thinking during instruction. Educational Psychologist, 23, 167-180.
26. Dweck, C. S., & Leggett, E. L. (1988). A social-cognitive approach to motivation and personality. Psychological Review, 95, 256-273.
27. Ennis, R. J., & Millman, J. (1971). Cornell Critical Thinking Test manual. Urbana: University of Illinois.
28. Erickson, D. K. (1993, April). Middle school mathematics teachers' views of mathematics and mathematics education, their planning and classroom instruction, and student beliefs and achievement. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association, Atlanta, GA.
29. Fleener, M. J. (1996). Scientific world building on the edge of chaos: High school students' beliefs about mathematics and science. School Science and Mathematics, 96, 312-321.
30. Frank, M. L. (1988). Problem solving and mathematical beliefs. Arithmetic Teacher, 35, 32-34.
31. Franke, M. L., & Carey, D. A. (1997). Young children's perceptions of mathematics in problem-solving environments. Journal for Research in Mathematics Education, 28, 8-25.
32. Gardner, H. (1993). Multiple intelligences: The theory in practice. New York: Basic Books.
33. Garofalo, J. (1989). Beliefs and their influence on mathematical performance. Mathematics Teacher, 82, 502-505.
34. Garofalo, J., & Lester, F. K. (1985). Metacognition, cognitive monitoring, and mathematical performance. Journal for Research in Mathematics Education, 16, 163-176.
35. Goodlad, J. I. (1984). A place called school: Prospects for the future. New York: McGraw-Hill.
36. Higgins, K. M. (1997). The effect of year-long instruction in mathematical problem solving on middle-school students' attitudes, beliefs, and abilities. Journal of Experimental Education, 66, 5-28.
37. Hofer, B. K. (1999). Instructional context in the college mathematics classroom: Epistemological beliefs and student motivation. Journal of Staff, Program, and Organizational Development, 16, 73-82.
38. Hofer, B. K. (2000). Dimensionality and disciplinary differences in personal epistemology. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 25, 378-405.
39. Hofer, B. K. (2002). Personal epistemology as a psychological and educational construct: An introduction. In B. K. Hofer & P. R. Pintrich (Eds.) Personal epistemology: The psychology of beliefs about knowledge and knowing (pp. 3-14). Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.
40. Hofer, B. K., & Pintrich, P. R. (1997). The development of epistemological theories: Beliefs about knowledge and knowing and their relation to learning. Review of Educational Research, 67, 88-140.
41. Hofer, B. K., & Pintrich, P. R. (Eds.). (2002). Personal epistemology: The psychology of beliefs about knowledge and knowing. Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.
42. Jacobson, M. J., & Jehng, J. C. (1998). Epistemological beliefs: Scales and items (Technical Report). Athens: University of Georgia, Learning and Performance Support Laboratory.
43. Jehng, J. J., Johnson, S. D., & Anderson, R. C. (1993). Schooling and students' epistemological beliefs about learning. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 18, 23-35.
44. King, P. M., Kitchener, K. S., Davison, M. L., Parker, C. A., & Wood, P. K. (1983). The justification of beliefs in young adults: A longitudinal study. Human Development, 26, 106-116.
45. King, P. M., Wood, P. K., & Mines, R. A. (1990). Critical thinking among college and graduate students. Review of Higher Education, 13, 167-186.
46. Kitchener, K. S. (1983). Cognitive, metacognitive, and epistemic cognition: A three-level model of cognitive processing. Human Development, 26, 222-232.
47. Kitchener, K. S., & King, P. M. (1981). Reflective judgment: Concepts of justification and their relationship to age and education. Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, 2, 89-116.
48. Kloosterman, P. (1991). Beliefs and achievement in seventh grade mathematics. Focus on Learning Problems in Mathematics, 13, 3-15.
49. Kloosterman, P. (1996). Students' beliefs about knowing and learning mathematics: Implications for motivation. In M. Carr (Ed.), Motivation in mathematics (pp. 131-156). Creskill, NJ: Hampton Press.
50. Kloosterman, P., & Cougan, M. C. (1994). Students' beliefs about learning school mathematics. Elementary School Journal, 94, 375-388.
51. Kloosterman, P., Raymond, A. M., & Emenaker, C. (1996). Students' beliefs about mathematics: A three-year study. Elementary School Journal, 97, 39-56.
52. Kloosterman, P., & Stage, F. K. (1992). Measuring beliefs about mathematical problem solving. School Science and Mathematics, 92, 109-115.
53. Koller, O. (2001). Mathematical world views and achievement in advanced mathematics in Germany: Findings from TIMSS Population 3. Studies in Educational Evaluation, 27, 65-78.
54. Lampert, M. (1990). When the problem is not the question and the solution is not the answer: Mathematical knowing and teaching. American Educational Research Journal, 27, 29-63.
55. Lave, J. (1988). Cognition in practice: Mind, mathematics and culture in everyday life. Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press.
56. Lave, J., & Wenger, E. (1991). Situated learning: Legitimate peripheral participation. Cambridge. England: Cambridge University Press.
57. Leont'ev, A. N. (1981). The problem of activity in psychology. In J. V. Wertsch (Ed.), The concept of activity in Soviet psychology (pp. 37-71). Armonk, NY: Sharpe.
58. Lester, F. K., & Garofalo, J. (1987, April). The influence of affects, beliefs, and metacognition on problem solving behavior: Some tentative speculations. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association. Washington, DC.
59. Lester, F. K., Garofalo, J., & Kroll, D. L. (1989). The role of metacognition in mathematical problem solving: A study of two Grade 7 classes (Final report to the National Science Foundation, NSF Project No. MDR 85-50346). Bloomington: Indiana University, Mathematics Education Development Center.
60. Lin, C. (2002). Effects of computer graphics types and epistemological beliefs on students' learning of mathematical concepts. Journal of Educational Computing Research, 27, 265-274.
61. Mason, L. (2003). High school students' beliefs about math, mathematical problem solving, and their achievement in math: A cross-sectional study. Educational Psychology. 23, 73-85.
62. McLeod, D. B. (1992). Research on affect and mathematics education: A reconceptualization. In D. A. Grouws (Ed.), Handbook of research on mathematics teaching and learning (pp. 575-596). New York: Macmillan.
63. Mehan, H., & Wood, H. (1975). The reality of ethnomethodology. New York: Wiley.
64. Minick, N. (1989). L. S. Vygotsky and Soviet activity theory: Perspectives on the relationship between mind and society. Newton, MA: Educational Development Center.
65. National Council of Teachers of Mathematics. (1980). An agenda for action: Recommendations for school mathematics of the 1980s. Reston, VA: Author.
66. National Council of Teachers of Mathematics. (1989). Curriculum and evaluation standards for school mathematics. Reston, VA: Author.
67. National Council of Teachers of Mathematics. (1991). Professional standards for teaching mathematics. Reston, VA: Author.
68. National Council of Teachers of Mathematics. (1993). Assessment standards for school mathematics. Reston, VA: Author.
69. National Research Council. (1989). Everybody counts: A report to the nation on the failure of mathematics education. Washington, DC: National Academy Press.
70. Newman, D., Griffin, P., & Cole, M. (1989). The construction zone: Working for cognitive change in school. Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press.
71. Nunes, T. (1992). Ethnomathematics and everyday cognition. In D. A. Grouws (Ed.), Handbook of research on mathematics teaching and learning (pp. 557-574). New York: Macmillan.
72. Paulsen, M. B., & Wells, C. T. (1998). Domain differences in the epistemological beliefs of college students. Research in Higher Education, 39, 365-384.
73. Perry, W. G., Jr. (1968). Patterns of development in thought and values of students in a liberal arts college: A validation of a scheme. Cambridge, MA: Bureau of Study Counsel, Harvard University. (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. ED 024315)
74. Perry, W. G., Jr. (1970). Forms of intellectual and ethical development in the college years: A scheme. New York: Holt, Rinehart & Winston.
75. Piaget, J. (1970a). Piaget's theory. In P. H. Mussen (Ed.), Carmichael's manual of child psychology (3rd ed., pp. 703-732). New York: Wiley.
76. Piaget, J. (1970b). Genetic epistemology. New York: Columbia University Press.
77. Pintrich, P. R., Marx, R. W., & Boyle, R. A. (1993). Beyond cold conceptual change: The role of motivational beliefs and classroom contextual factors in the process of conceptual change. Review of Educational Research, 63, 167-199.
78. Pintrich, P. R., Smith, D. A., Garcia, T., & McKeachie, W. J. (1993). Reliability and predictive validity of the Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire (MSLQ). Educational and Psychological Measurement, 53, 801-813.
79. Royce, J. R., Coward, H., Egan, E., Kessel, F., & Mos, L. (1978). Psychological epistemology: A critical review of the empirical literature and the theoretical issues. Genetic Psychology Monographs, 97, 265-353.
80. Ryan, M. P. (1984). Monitoring text comprehension: Individual differences in epistemological standards. Journal of Educational Psychology, 76, 248-258.
81. Schneider, W., & Pressley, M. (1989). Memory development between 2 and 20. New York: Springer-Verlag.
82. Schoenfeld, A. H. (1983). Beyond the purely cognitive: Belief systems, social cognitions, and metacognitions as driving forces in intellectual performance. Cognitive Science, 7, 329-363.
83. Schoenfeld, A. H. (1985). Mathematical problem solving. New York: Academic Press.
84. Schoenfeld, A. H. (1987). What's all the fuss about metacognition? In A. H. Schoenfeld (Ed.), Cognitive science and mathematics education (pp. 189-215). Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.
85. Schoenfeld, A. H. (1988). When good teaching leads to bad results: The disasters of "well-taught" mathematics classes. Educational Psychologist, 23, 145-166.
86. Schoenfeld, A. H. (1989). Exploration of students' mathematical beliefs and behavior. Journal for Research in Mathematics Education, 20, 338-355.
87. Schoenfeld, A. H. (1992). Learning to think mathematically: Problem solving, metacognition and sense making in mathematics. In D. A. Grouws (Ed.), Handbook of research on mathematics teaching and learning (pp. 334-370). New York: Macmillan.
88. Schommer, M. (1990). Effects of beliefs about the nature of knowledge on comprehension. Journal of Educational Psychology, 82, 498-504.
89. Schommer, M. (1993a). Comparisons of beliefs about the nature of knowledge and learning among postsecondary students. Research in Higher Education, 34, 355-370.
90. Schommer, M. (1993b). Epistemological development and academic performance among secondary students. Journal of Educational Psychology, 85, 406-411.
91. Schommer, M. (1994a). An emerging conceptualization of epistemological beliefs and their role in learning. In R. Garner & P. A. Alexander (Eds.), Beliefs about text and instruction with text (pp. 25-40). Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.
92. Schommer, M. (1994b). Synthesizing epistemological belief research: Tentative understandings and provocative confusions. Educational Psychology Review, 6, 293-319.
93. Schommer, M. (1998). The role of adults' beliefs about knowledge in school, work, and everyday life. In M. C. Smith & T. Pourchot (Eds.), Adult learning and development: Perspectives from educational psychology (pp. 127-143). Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.
94. Schommer, M., Calvert, C., Gariglietti, G., & Bajaj, A. (1997). The development of epistemological beliefs among secondary students: A longitudinal study. Journal of Educational Psychology, 89, 37-40.
95. Schommer, M., Crouse, A., & Rhodes, N. (1992). Epistemological beliefs and mathematical text comprehension: Believing it is simple does not make it so. Journal of Educational Psychology, 84, 435-443.
96. Schommer, M., & Dunnell, P. A. (1994). Epistemological beliefs of gifted high school students. Roeper Review, 19, 153-156.
97. Schommer, M., & Walker, K. (1995). Are epistemological beliefs similar across domains? Journal of Educational Psychology, 87, 424-432.
98. Schommer-Aikins, M. (2002). An evolving theoretical framework for an epistemological belief system. In B. K. Hofer & P. R. Pintrich (Eds.), Personal epistemology: The psychology of beliefs about knowledge and knowing (pp. 103-118). Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.
99. Schommer-Aikins, M., Duell, O. K., & Barker, S. (2003). Epistemological beliefs across domains using Biglan's classification of academic disciplines. Research in Higher Education, 44, 347-366.
100. Schutz, P. A., Pintrich, P. R., & Young, A. J. (1993, April). Epistemological beliefs, motivation, and student learning. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association, Atlanta, GA.
101. Spangler, D. A. (1992). Assessing students' beliefs about mathematics. Mathematics Educator, 3, 19-23.
102. Stake, R. E., & Easley, J. (1978). Case studies in science education: Vol. II. Design, overview and general findings. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office.
103. Stodolsky, S. S. (1985). Telling math: Origins of math aversion and anxiety. Educational Psychologist, 20, 125-133.
104. Stodolsky, S. S., Salk, S., & Glaessner, B. (1991). Student views about learning math and social studies. American Educational Research Journal, 28, 89-116.
105. Stonewater, B. B., Stonewater, J. K., & Hadley, T. D. (1986). Intellectual development using the Perry scheme: An exploratory comparison of two assessment instruments. Journal of College Student Personnel, 27, 542-547.
106. Thompson, A. G. (1984). The relationship of teachers' conceptions of mathematics and mathematics teaching to instructional practice. Educational Studies in Mathematics, 15, 105-127.
107. Tourangeau, R., Rips, L. J., & Rasinski, K. (2000). The psychology of survey response. Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press.
108. Underhill, R. (1988). Focus on research into practice in diagnostic and prescriptive mathematics: Mathematics learners' beliefs: A review. Focus on Learning Problems in Mathematics, 10, 55-69,
109. Useem, E. L. (1992). Middle schools and math groups: Parents' involvement in children's placement. Sociology of Education, 65, 263-279.
110. Verschaffel, L., De Corte E., Lasure, S., Van Vaerenbergh, G., Bogaerts, H., & Ratinckx, E. (1999). Learning to solve mathematical application problems: A design experiment with fifth graders. Mathematical Thinking and Learning, 1, 195-229.
111. Voigt, J. (1995). Thematic patterns of interaction and sociomathematical norms. In P. Cobb & H. Bauersfeld (Eds.), Emergence of mathematical meaning: Interaction in classroom cultures (pp. 163-201). Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.
112. von Glasersfeld, E. (1989a). Constructivism. In T. Husen & T. N. Postlethwaite (Eds.), The international encyclopedia of education (Vol. 1, pp. 162-163). Oxford, England: Pergamon Press.
113. von Glasersfeld, E. (1989b). Cognition, construction of knowledge, and teaching. Synthese, 80, 121-140.
114. von Glasersfeld, E. (1992). Constructivism reconstructed: A reply to Suchting. Science and Education, 1, 379-384.
115. Vygotsky, L. S. (1978). Mind and society: The development of higher psychological processes. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
116. Watson, G., & Glaser, E. M. (1964). Watson-Glaser critical thinking appraisal manual. New York: Harcourt, Brace & World.
117. Weinstein, C., Palmer, D. R., & Schulte, A. C. (1987). Learning and Study Strategies Inventory. Clearwater, FL: H & H.
118. Winne, P. H., Jamieson-Noel, D., & Muis, K. (2002). Methodological issues and advances in researching tactics, strategies, and self-regulated learning. In P. R. Pintrich & M. L. Maehr (Eds.), Advances in motivation and achievement: New directions in measures and methods (Vol. 12, pp. 121-155). Greenwich, CT: JAI Press.
119. Winne, P. H., & Perry, N. E. (2000). Measuring self-regulated learning. In M. Boekaerts, P. R. Pintrich, & M. Zeidner (Eds.), Handbook of self-regulation (pp. 531-566). Orlando, FL: Academic Press.
120. Yackel, E., & Cobb, P. (1996). Sociomathematical norms, argumentation, and autonomy in mathematics. Journal for Research in Mathematics Education, 27, 458-477.