The Interplay between Scientific Epistemological Beliefs and Preferences for Constructivist Learning Environments of Taiwanese Eighth Graders: From Misconceptions to Constructed Understanding

Science educators have identified an individual's epistemological beliefs about science as an essential feature of his (or her) conceptual ecology; these beliefs may shape his (or her) metalearning assumptions and then influence his (or her) learning orientations or preferences. This study was conducted to explore the interplay between students' scientific epistemological beliefs and their preferences for constructivist learning environments. Through analyzing forty-eight Taiwanese eighth graders' questionnaire responses, in-depth interview results and their reflections on a series of treatment lessons conducted by a combination of both traditional and constructivist instructional strategies, this study found that students having epistemological beliefs more oriented to constructivist views of science (as opposed to empiricist views about science) tended to show significantly stronger preferences to learn in the constructivist learning environments where they could (1) interact and negotiate meanings with others (p