Coordination of Theory and Evidence and the Role of Personal Epistemology and Prior Knowledge When Reading About the Controversial Topic of Vitamin Supplement Use

This qualitative multiple case study examined the ways in which undergraduate and graduate students coordinate theory and evidence on the controversial topic of vitamin supplement use when faced with evidence that supports and evidence that contradicts their existing beliefs, as well as the roles of personal epistemology and prior knowledge in this process. Coordination of theory and evidence is an essential skill in both scientific and everyday reasoning, as it allows individuals to accurately evaluate conflicting information to arrive at an informed decision about important issues. Participants completed an online questionnaire in which they read three articles of differing stances on the topic of vitamin use and asked to describe the position and evidence used within each article and to state whether they agreed or disagreed with the article’s core position. Participants’ personal epistemologies and prior knowledge on the topic were also assessed. A majority of participants were largely successful in being able to articulate their existing theories as well as alternative theories, identify theory and evidence within the articles, and to integrate the information they read to develop, refine, and in some cases modify their theories. Many participants in this study held evaluativist epistemological beliefs which may have contributed to their success with these components of theory and evidence coordination. However, participants often struggled to fully differentiate between theory and evidence and rarely discussed the quantity and quality of sources cited as a factor when evaluating the articles. Participants who held at least some accurate knowledge about vitamins and nutrition were more likely to change their initial theories at the end of the task and to indicate a desire to do more personal research on the topic compared to those who lacked knowledge or held misconceptions.