Empirical Evidence Regarding Relations Among a Model of Epistemic and Ontological Cognition, Academic Performance, and Educational Level

Models of personal epistemology have not been sufficiently integrated despite conceptual similarities. We attempted to model both dimensional and positional aspects of personal epistemology, as well as examine the domain specificity of these phenomena. The conceptual framework for this study was a new model of epistemic and ontological cognitive development that addresses numerous concerns in the literature. A model-based quantitative instrument was created and administered to 740 students ranging from middle-school through graduate school. Results of confirmatory factor and factor-mixture model analyses provided evidence for the construct validity and reliability of scores from the instrument as well as support for many aspects of the underlying conceptual model. Implications for further model development and research are discussed.