ABSTRACT
Research on “epistemological beliefs” has made important contributions to education, most fundamentally in identifying epistemology as a category of informal knowledge that may play a role in students’ knowledge, reasoning, study strategies, and participation. A perspective on students as having epistemological beliefs can provide an alternative interpretive lens for teachers to use in understanding their students’ ideas and behavior, in assessing students’ abilities and needs, and in adapting their plans and strategies for instruction.
