A COMPENDIUM OF SCALES for use in the SCHOLARSHIP OF TEACHING AND LEARNING

Epistemological Questionnaire (EQ)
The 62-item EQ (Schommer, 1990) is constructed based on Schommer’s five-facet model of
epistemological beliefs. Four validation studies utilizing different population samples with
different educational and work experiences were conducted; the reported internal consistency
reliability ranged from .50s to .70s (Schommer, 1993; 1998). Group comparisons revealed
sensitivity of the EQ to age, gender, educational level, and cultural differences. Adults and
female students were more likely to believe in ability as acquired as opposed to predisposed
(Schommer, 1993; 1998). Asian students were found to be extremely consistent in agreeing
that authorities are not to be criticized as opposed to those of the West (Chan & Elliot, 2000).
The EQ has reported a somewhat mixed factor structure despite its popularity. The proposed
five-factor structure has not been consistently replicated in later studies (Braten & Stromso,
2005; Clarebout, Elen, Luyten, & Bamps, 2001; Duell & Schommer-Aikins 2001; Schraw,
Bendixen, & Dunkle, 2002; Wood & Kardash, 2002). Researchers tend to conclude that the low
to modest internal consistency might be caused by the rather ambiguous nature of the
construct of personal epistemology itself. Additionally, the inconsistency of respondents’
ratings of some items could reflect that respondents hold contrasting beliefs that (e.g. the only
thing that is certain is uncertainty itself) do not lend themselves easily to empirical research
(Qian & Alverman, 1995).
Epistemological Belief Inventory (EBI)
The EBI (Schraw et al., 2002) is a refined version of the EQ in an attempt to enhance its
psychometric properties. This is a shorter instrument with a more stable factor structure
generating up to 60% of variance (Schraw et al., 2012). It consists of 32 items and yields five
factors with reliabilities that typically range from .50 to .65.
The original 62-tiem EQ and the EBI are amongst the most popular multi-facet instruments of
personal epistemology; however, both of them are not free from measurement problems. Yet
in comparison, the EBI is slightly more favorable as the authors have made an effort in this
refined 32-item version to remove redundant items, and rephrase ambiguously worded items.
Such effort lead to improved clarity in the comprehension of the items, an enhanced structural
stability, as well as reliabilities set within an acceptable range.
Discipline-Focused Epistemological Beliefs Questionnaire (DFEBQ)
The FEDBQ (Hofer, 2000) is a domain-specific questionnaire with items similar to those of
Schommer’s (1990) EQ. It contains 18 items, assessing four factors corresponding to Hofer’s
revised model of epistemological beliefs, using a 7-point Likert scale. Respondents are asked to
focus on a specific academic discipline (e.g., Science or Psychology) as they rate each item.
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