Equity Gaps in Epistemic Cognition Between Black, Hispanic/Latino, Asian, and White University Students

Previous research has shown that epistemic cognition-the knowledge about what makes a belief justified or true-tends to be higher among White students compared to Black, Hispanic/Latino, and Asian students. Much of this research has been done using the independent dimensions model of epistemic cognition and only one study included a relatively small proportion of Hispanic/Latino participants in STEM. Using the developmental model of epistemic cognition that consists of three levels-absolutist, multiplist, and evaluativist-a sample of university students from a single institution with diverse majors and racial and ethnic backgrounds completed the Epistemic Thinking Assessment. Subsequently, they were categorized into one of the three levels of epistemic cognition. The results showed that Black and Hispanic students were more likely to have absolutist as their predominant epistemic cognition level and less likely to have evaluativist as their predominant epistemic cognition level relative to White students despite family income. The effect sizes in the regression models are small. Future research should explore how social and environmental factors may contribute to these results. Furthermore, the findings illuminate an opportunity for interventions that can be tested to determine if they support the development of epistemic cognition and close equity gaps, such as evidence-based pedagogies rooted in developing argumentation skills.