Philippine E-Journals

In this paper, we survey 445 South China college students on their epistemological beliefs and conceptions of the nature of science. A composite instrument drawn from previous research in similar fields of study among Asians was adapted for this purpose. We compare the undergraduates' views in these two areas. Our results indicate that the undergraduates' views of general epistemology parallel their views on the nature of science. However, these patterns of beliefs are related with the undergraduates' disciplines. Undergraduates from the hard sciences seem to adopt an objectivist stance while undergraduates from the soft sciences tend to be more relativistic.