DOES CULTURE HAVE AN EFFECT ON EPISTEMOLOGICAL BELIEFS? A CROSS-CULTURE COMPARISON BETWEEN IRAQ AND GHANA

Abstract

This research examines the differences between Iraqi and Ghanaian pre-service teachers in terms of epistemological beliefs from a multicultural perspective. The research was designed according to the survey model, which is one of the quantitative research methods. The participants of the study consisted of 332 pre-service teachers, 165 from Ghana and 167 from Iraq. In this study, Schommer’s epistemological beliefs questionnaire was used.  It was determined that regarding independent variables (gender, department, country) epistemological beliefs significantly became dissimilar in several circumstances. The study revealed that gender and department have a very low effect on epistemological beliefs. However, country variable appeared as a very effective variable on epistemological beliefs; path analysis, effect size and discriminant analysis provided consistent results with each other and it was confirmed that culture has a significant effect on epistemological beliefs. As a result of discriminant analysis, it was observed that classifications of the country have a very big success rate of 95.4%. According to these findings, without a doubt, epistemological beliefs could change in terms of culture. After this point, the situation needs to be explained is which variable or variables could be classified in the cultural universal causes this difference. When these variables are revealed, it will be possible to know explicitly how epistemological beliefs develop.