Epistemological beliefs and cognitive flexibility. The generative nature of epistemological choices. Educating the choice to endorse learning

Abstract

Studies on epistemological beliefs have proven with extensive evidence that the concept is an important variable of the learning process. Such idea has been developed by further researches, which show that adequate epistemological beliefs should be regarded as an essential learning goal for a thorough understanding of scientific discoveries. In other words, the learning of adequate epistemological beliefs constitutes a fundamental goal within the frame of a society characterized by complexity and enhanced technologies. In the following pages we will try to discuss the key issues of this research topic and, in particular, we will focus on how beliefs come into
contact with the construct of “cognitive flexibility”.