Measures of people's beliefs about knowledge and learning

Different measures of people's beliefs about the nature of knowledge and le arning are described along with the theories upon which they are based. The initial theories tended to be unidimensional developmental theories and th eir measuring instruments lengthy, in-depth interviews. More recently, mult idimensional theories have emerged that provide a more complex theory of ep istemology. Recent measuring instruments are attempting to address these co mplexities using paper-and-pencil questionnaires that are easy to score. Th e measuring instruments differ considerably on what dimensions they measure and researchers are urged to select carefully the one that best matches th eir purpose. Specific descriptive information is provided regarding selecte d instruments to aid researchers in their choices. Both theory and psychome tric properties are considered critical issues for the decision-making proc ess.