Abstract

In recent decades there has been significant study of students’ beliefs which support or undermine learning. These studies have focused on how these beliefs influence students' motivation for learning, with only very few studies focusing on how broader social contexts may influence learning beliefs themselves. My study addresses the lack of the latter. I explore whether students from different cultures and social classes hold different learning beliefs as early as at eight and nine years of age. The study includes a small sample of 24 Chilean and 24 English students from eight different classrooms of different socio-economic situations, and applies semi-structured interviews. I asked children questions to explore their epistemological beliefs, through questions such as: what is knowledge; what does it mean to know something; and where does knowledge come from. I also explored their goal orientations by asking them how much they like or do not like to show their abilities to others, as well as how much they like to challenge themselves. Finally, I explored students’ beliefs regarding intelligence. I asked them what they thought intelligence was and what it is to be intelligent. Data analysis is currently taking place. The conference presentation will focus on the process of data analysis, specifically the process undertaken to build a coding framework that is grounded in the data as well as informed by theoretical categories.