DOCUMENT RESUME ED 399 525 CS 012 608 AUTHOR Qian, Gaoyin TITLE The Role of Epistemological Beliefs and Motivational Goals in Ethnically Diverse High School Students' Learning from Science Text. PUB DATE Nov 95 NOTE 30p.; Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the National Reading Conference (New Orleans, LA, November 29-December 2, 1995). PUB TYPE Reports Research/Technical (143) Speeches /Conference Papers (150) EDRS PRICE MF01/PCO2 Plus Postage. DESCRIPTORS Change Strategies; High Schools; High School Students; Inner City; Misconceptions; Prior Learning; Reading Research; *Science Instruction; *Scientific Concepts; *Text Structure; Urban Education IDENTIFIERS *Diversity (Student); New York City Board of Education; *Refutation Text ABSTRACT A study examined the relationship between two variable sets: (1) epistemological beliefs (Quick Learning, Simple-Certain Knowledge, and Innate Ability) and performance goals; and (2) conceptual understanding and application reasoning in conceptual change learning. In addition, effects of different kinds of prior knowledge on conceptual change learning were investigated. Subjects were 95 eleventh- and twelfth-grade students enrolled in science classes at an inner-city public high school in New York City. Results from repeated measures ANOVA (Analysis of Variance) indicated that refutational text was effective in facilitating conceptual change learning. Results from canonical correlation analyses demonstrated that beliefs about innate ability contributed the most to conceptual change learning, whereas beliefs about quick learning contributed the least. Findings suggest that beliefs about innate ability are an important factor in conceptual change learning among inner-city high school students. (Contains 38 references and 5 tables of data.) (Author/RS) ****************************** 7 C ********************************** Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document. ********************************;:**" * A**************************