اعتباريابي مقياس ارزيابي باورهاي معرفت شناختي درباره علوم فيزيكي براي دانش اموزان مقطع راهنمايي

Adaptation and Validation Study of the Epistemological Beliefs Assessment for Physical Science (EBAPS) among Guidance School Students

The adaptation and validation of the Epistemological Beliefs Assessment for Physical Science (EBAPS) was the purpose of the present study. To achieve this end 415 third year Guidance school students (207 females and 208 males) were selected from schools for gifted, schools for high-achievers and regular public schools in the city of Shiraz through the use of purposive sampling. The construct validity of the scale was investigated through factor analysis. This analysis showed the following 4 factors: complex structure of knowledge, gradual/summative learning, incremental ability and evolving knowledge. The internal consistency of EBAPS for subscales through the use of Cronbach alpha was acceptable. The findings of this study revealed that the EBAPS is a valid and reliable instrument for use with Iranian guidance school students. In addition, the present study showed a pattern of gender differences in the studentsʹ epistemological beliefs about physical knowledge. Also, this investigation revealed that studentsʹ beliefs about the structure of knowledge, incremental ability and evolving knowledge were influenced by their educational environment.