What is Epistemology? Introduction to the Word and the Concept (Links to an external site.)

Prior to beginning work on this assignment, read the “Personal Epistemology in Education” article in your text (p. 52), the Bendixen and Rule (2004) and Hofer (2006) articles in the Ashford University Library, and watch theWhat is Epistemology? Introduction to the Word and the Concept (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. video required for this week.

As suggested in the required articles and video for this assignment, the definition of what a personal epistemology is has been debated. However, developing a personal learning epistemology is important because it is foundational to how we think. Without a multifaceted understanding of how we obtain knowledge, how we rely on our intelligences, and how we expand ideas in our minds, we have no intelligible path for our beliefs. A rigorous learning epistemology is essential to comprehensive reasoning and thinking.

Based on your current and newly developed knowledge as well as the required resources for this assignment, apply basic research methods to align the content of the information in the required course resources this week with your personally constructed learning epistemology. Apply skeptical inquiry to develop your personal epistemological beliefs through reflection on the questions below. Be aware that these questions are not the only considerations that might be included, and they should not be used verbatim; rather, they can serve as guides as you begin the process of creating your personal epistemology.

• What can we know?
• How can we know it?
• What do/should individuals need to learn, and why? 
• What purpose(s) should education serve?
• How do you believe persons acquire knowledge best?
• What image of society and the kinds of adults that populate it seems to correspond with your vision of knowing/learning?
• What do you believe about the way students learn and why they may (or may not) want to learn?
• Why do we know some things but not others?
• How do we acquire knowledge?
• Is knowledge possible?
• Can knowledge be certain?
• How can we differentiate truth from falsehood?
• Why do we believe certain claims and not others?
• According to Plato, knowledge is a subset of that which is both true and believed. Do you agree or disagree?

After developing basic answers to the questions above and considering the impact of understanding how one’s own conscience awareness of knowledge and learning  may affect individual development and beliefs manifestations, research a minimum of five peer-reviewed articles in the Ashford University Library that can be used as support sources for your personal learning epistemology. Your learning epistemology must include six to seven key points with supporting rationales regarding your beliefs on learning and knowing.

Apply professional standards to your explanation regarding how knowledge is developed by providing references for any theoretical perspectives, historical trends, and/or empirical findings you include in your epistemology. Additionally, your personal epistemology should be an authentic and truthful explanation about your current beliefs about learning and knowing, as supported by your research, and not merely reflective of what you think your instructor or peers want to hear.

The paper should not include any elaborate quotes; it should be scholarly in nature with citations throughout. It is recommended that you submit your paper to both Writing Reviser and Turnitin prior to submission for grading. Please note that you will include a revised draft of this epistemology, based on instructor feedback as well as your own knowledge development during this course, as part of your Learning and Cognition Handbook.

The paper:

• Must be three to four double-spaced pages in length, not including the title or references pages, and formatted according to APA style as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site..
• Must include a title page with the following:
  • Title of paper
  • Student’s name
  • Course name and number
  • Instructor’s name
  • Date submitted
• Must begin with an introductory paragraph.
• Must address the topic with critical thought and support all assertions with peer-reviewed sources.
• Must end with a conclusion that synthesizes your belief statements about knowing and learning.
• Must use at least five peer-reviewed sources from the Ashford University Library.
• Must document all sources in APA style as outlined in the In-Text Citation Guide (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site..
• Must include a separate references page that is formatted according to APA style as outlined in the APA References List (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site..