Intercurrical Differences in Epistemic Thinking andIndividual Thinking Styles of Students in The HigherEducation Process

Rakhimova Aziza  Davrabekovna

doi:10.5281/

Authors

Rakhimova Aziza Davrabekovna University Of Innovation Technologies Author

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5281/

Keywords:

epistemic thinking, styles of thinking, higher education , student, synthetic thinking, analytical thinking, pragmatic thinking, rationalistic thinking, U-Mann-Whitney criterion

Abstract

This article empirically analyzes the interdisciplinary differences between epistemic thinking and students' individual styles of thinking in the process of higher education. The main objective of the study is to identify the level of manifestation of synthetic, idealistic, pragmatic, analytical, and rationalistic thinking styles in 2nd and 4th-year students, and to interpret them as psychological indicators of epistemic thinking development. The study involved 149 students, of whom 67 were in the 2nd year and 82 were in the 4th year. Empirical data were collected using the "Individual Thinking Style" methodology and statistically processed based on the U-Mann-Whitney criterion. The results showed that for all studied thinking styles, the indicators of 4th-year students are higher compared to 2nd-year students. In particular, statistically significant differences were identified in synthetic, idealistic, pragmatic, analytical, and rationalistic styles of thinking. The results obtained indicate that in the process of higher education, students' epistemic thinking is gradually developed through the analysis and generalization of knowledge, relying on evidence, and making rational decisions in practical situations.

References

[1] A. A. Alekseev and L. A. Gromova, Understand Me Correctly, or a Book on How to Find Your Own Style of Thinking, Effectively Use Intellectual Resources, and Gain Mutual Understanding with People. Saint Petersburg, Russia: School of Economics, 1993.

[2] L. S. Vygotsky, Thinking and Speech. Moscow, Russia: Pedagogy, 1982.

[3] S. L. Rubinstein, Fundamentals of General Psychology. Saint Petersburg, Russia: Piter, 2002.

[4] A. N. Leontiev, Activities. Consciousness. Personality. Moscow, Russia: Political Publishing House, 1975.

[5] O. K. Tikhomirov, Psychology of Thinking. Moscow, Russia: Moscow University Publishing House, 1984.

[6] A. M. Matyushkin, Problematic Situations in Thinking and Learning. Moscow, Russia: Pedagogy, 1972.

[7] V. V. Davydov, Theory of Developmental Learning. Moscow, Russia: Intor, 1996.

[8] A. F. Harrison and R. M. Bramson, The Art of Thinking: Strategies for Asking Questions, Making Decisions, and Solving Problems. New York, NY, USA: Berkley Books, 1984.

[9] B. K. Hofer and P. R. Pintrich, "The development of epistemological theories: Beliefs about knowledge and knowing and their relation to learning," Review of Educational Research, vol. 67, no. 1, pp. 88–140, 1997. doi: 10.3102/00346543067001088.

[10] B. K. Hofer and P. R. Pintrich, Eds., Personal Epistemology: The Psychology of Beliefs about Knowledge and Knowing. Mahwah, NJ, USA: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, 2002.

[11] M. Schommer, "Effects of beliefs about the nature of knowledge on comprehension," Journal of Educational Psychology, vol. 82, no. 3, pp. 498–504, 1990.

[12] P. M. King and K. S. Kitchener, Developing Reflective Judgment: Understanding and Promoting Intellectual Growth and Critical Thinking in Adolescents and Adults. San Francisco, CA, USA: Jossey-Bass, 1994.

[13] D. Kuhn, The Skills of Argument. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, 1991.

[14] R. J. Sternberg, Thinking Styles. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, 1997.

[15] H. B. Mann and D. R. Whitney, "On a test of whether one of two random variables is stochastically greater than the other," The Annals of Mathematical Statistics, vol. 18, no. 1, pp. 50–60, 1947.