Measurement of Epistemological Beliefs Psychometric Properties of the EQEBI Test Scores

• Published in: Educational and psychological measurement Vol. 69; no. 2; pp. 287 - 302
• Main Authors: Ordoñez, Xavier G., Ponsoda, Vicente, Abad, Francisco J., Romero, Sonia J.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Los Angeles, CA SAGE Publications 01.04.2009; Sage Publications; SAGE PUBLICATIONS, INC
• Subjects: Belief & doubt; Beliefs; Biological and medical sciences; College Students; Colombia; Discriminant analysis; Educational psychology; Epistemology; Factor Analysis; Foreign Countries; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Item Response Theory; Mathematical models; Measurement Techniques; Orientation. Evaluation; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychology. Psychophysiology; Psychometrics; Quantitative psychology; Questionnaires; Reliability; Scores; Spanish Speaking; Studies; Test Reliability; Tests; Colombia; monotone homogeneity model; confirmatory factor analysis; epistemological beliefs; graded response model; Human; Questionnaire; Response model; Psychometrics; Student; Test validation; University; Confirmatory factor analysis; Homogeneity; Epistemological belief
• ISSN: 0013-1644; 1552-3888
• DOI: 10.1177/0013164408323226

This article proposes a new test (called the EQEBI) for the measurement of epistemological beliefs, integrating and extending the Epistemological Questionnaire (EQ) and the Epistemic Beliefs Inventory (EBI). In Study 1, the two tests were translated and applied to a Spanish-speaking sample. A detailed dimensionality exploration, by means of the monotone homogeneity model and confirmatory factor analysis, provides unexpected dimensionality results. Therefore, a new test is proposed, and the dimensionality and psychometric properties of the test's scores are determined. The new test retains four of the five original dimensions. The EQEBI has 27 items, and its score reliability is higher than that of the original EQ and EBI. In Study 2, the EQEBI was applied to another sample to verify the psychometric properties of the obtained scores. The expected four unidimensional scales are confirmed. The scales are calibrated with the graded response model. Recommendations are offered for using the scales for epistemological beliefs assessment.