Epistemic Beliefs as Predictors of Students’ Conceptual Understanding and Scientific Reasoning in Senior Secondary School Biology in Lagos State, Nigeria

Abstract

Understanding how students learn biology meaningfully requires attention not only to instructional practices but also to learners’ epistemic beliefs about knowledge and knowing. This study investigated epistemic beliefs as predictors of students’ conceptual understanding and scientific reasoning in Biology in Lagos State, Nigeria. Guided by epistemic cognition and constructivist learning theories, the study adopted a correlational survey design with a predictive focus. The population comprised senior secondary school Biology students in Lagos State, from which a representative sample was selected using multistage sampling techniques. Data were collected using three validated instruments: an Epistemic Beliefs Questionnaire (EBQ, Cronbach alpha=0.92), a Biology Conceptual Understanding Test (BCUT, Kuder-Richardson 20=0.90), and a Scientific Reasoning Test (SRT, Kuder-Richardson 20=0.94). Data were analysed using descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation, and multiple regression analysis. Findings revealed that students’ epistemic beliefs were significantly related to both conceptual understanding and scientific reasoning in Biology. Specifically, sophisticated epistemic beliefs—such as beliefs in the tentativeness, complexity, and justification of biological knowledge—significantly predicted higher levels of conceptual understanding and scientific reasoning. Conversely, naïve epistemic beliefs were associated with lower performance on both outcome variables. The regression model indicated that epistemic beliefs accounted for a statistically significant proportion of variance in students’ conceptual understanding and scientific reasoning. The study concludes that students’ epistemic beliefs play a critical cognitive role in shaping how biological concepts are understood and how scientific reasoning skills are developed. It therefore recommends that Biology instruction and curriculum implementation in secondary schools should explicitly foster sophisticated epistemic beliefs through inquiry-based, argumentation-focused, and reflective pedagogical approaches. The study contributes to Biology education research in Nigeria by providing empirical evidence on the predictive role of epistemic beliefs in students’ learning outcomes.

Keywords: Epistemic beliefs, conceptual understanding, scientific reasoning, Biology education, secondary school students, Lagos State.