Internet-Based Epistemic Beliefs, Engagement in Online Activities, and Intention for Constructivist ICT Integration among Pre-Service Teachers.

This study investigated pre-service teachers’ epistemic beliefs about the Internet using the Inventory of Internet-Based Epistemic Beliefs (IBEB). Also examined were their belief profiles to delineate the effect of IBEB on pre-service teachers’ engagement in online reading activities and intention for ICT integration for constructivist learning activities. Participants were 474 teacher education students in Taiwan. Results revealed the four hypothesised constructs – structure, uncertainty, source, and justification for Internet knowledge – with good validity and reliability. Four epistemic belief groups were derived based on these constructs; and they exhibited differential effects on the validating variables. Cluster 1 was characterised by four positive epistemic beliefs (the positive beliefs ), Cluster 2 by four negative epistemic beliefs (the negative beliefs ), Cluster 3 by modest scores of the epistemic beliefs (the modest beliefs ), and Cluster 4 by positive uncertainty and justification scores as well as negative structure and source scores (the high justification and uncertainty ). Findings suggest that intervention targeting pre-service teachers in the negative beliefs and the modest beliefs may be necessary to foster positive epistemic beliefs for better constructivist learning in the online environment.