herdsa 2006 115 Personal epistemology of Thai university students: Cultural influence on the development of beliefs about knowledge and knowing Takayoshi Fujiwara and Brian J. Phillips Mahidol University International College, Nakhonpathom, Thailand ictakayoshi@mahidol.ac.th and icbrian@mahidol.ac.th Abstract: The objective of this study is: (a) to investigate the structure of personal epistemology of Thai university students, and (b) to examine whether there is a significant difference in their personal epistemology between groups of students with different secondary educational backgrounds. A questionnaire, asking participants to indicate how they agree or disagree to statements on knowledge and knowing, was administered to first-year students at a university in Thailand. Through factor analysis, three dimensions were identified: Fixed Ability, Stable Knowledge, and Simple Knowledge. However, the factor structure was complex, and the items representing different conceptual dimensions were merged into the same factors. This finding appears to confirm a dimensional structure of the Thai university students’ personal epistemology, yet it requires further investigations to clarify the nature of relatively independent dimensions. Significant differences were identified among groups of students differing in educational backgrounds. The students graduated from schools abroad and international schools were significantly more epistemologically developed than those graduated from local Thai schools. Similarly the students intending to major in science had significantly more epistemologically developed beliefs than the prospective arts and business majors. These results suggest that culture through education influences the development of perspectives toward knowledge and knowing. Key words: Beliefs about knowledge and knowing, cultural and educational influence, student development Introduction Research on personal epistemology Over the last decades, increasing numbers of researchers from various fields have been interested in investigating students’ beliefs about knowledge and knowing. However the scope of each study seems to be somewhat different and there were numerous labels used to categorize this area of research (e.g., Baxtor Magolda, 1992; Belenky et al., 1986; Hofer, 2000; King & Kitchener, 1994; Kuhn, 1991; Schommer, 1990). Hofer and Pintrich (1997, 2002) are attempts to address this chaotic situation, trying to integrate what was identified in the studies to date into the area of “personal epistemology.” They were most recently followed by Hofer (2004) and Schraw and Sinatra (2004). Schommer (1990, 1993a, 1993b; Schommer et al., 1992) is acknowledged as one of the pioneers in studies of personal epistemology, but there are issues raised about her methodology and conceptualization of personal epistemology (Chan & Elliot, 2004; Hofer, 2001; Hofer & Pintrich, 1997). She conceptualized the personal epistemology as system with five distinct independent dimensional factors: (a) structure of knowledge, (b) certainty of knowledge, (c) sources of knowledge, (d) control of knowledge acquisition, and (e) speed of knowledge acquisition. In her empirical studies, however, she has not yet been successful in identifying all the five proposed factors (Schommer, 1990, 1993b; Schommer et al., 1992).