Preface PART I: Introduction Chapter 1 Personal Epistemology and Culture Barbara K. Hofer, Middlebury College, USA PART II: Conceptual and Methodological Issues Chapter 2 Assessing Teachers' Epistemological and Ontological Worldviews Gregory J. Schraw and Lori J. Olafson, University of Nevada, USA Chapter 3 The Evolution of Self-Authorship Marcia Baxter Magolda, Miami University of Ohio, USA Chapter 4 Assessing the Multidimensionality of Students' Epistemic Beliefs Across Diverse Cultures Michelle M. Buehl, George Mason University, USA Chapter 5 Measurement of Epistemological Beliefs and Learning Strategies of Elementary School Children Barbara Moschner, Andrea Anschutz, Stephen Wernke and Uta Wagener, Carl von Ossietzky Universität Oldenburg, Germany PART III: Empirical Studies on Cultural-Specific Epistemology Chapter 6 University Cultures and Epistemic Beliefs: Examining Differences between Two Academic Environments Krista R. Muis and Gale M. Sinatra, University of Nevada, USA Chapter 7 Personal Epistemology in Elementary Classrooms: A Conceptual Comparison of Germany and the United States and a Guide for Future Cross-Cultural Research Florian C. Haerle and Lisa D. Bendixen, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, USA Chapter 8 A Sociocultural Exploration of Epistemological Beliefs Iris Tabak and Michael Weinstock, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Israel Chapter 9 An Exploratory Study about the Role of Epistemological Beliefs and Dispositions on Learners' Thinking about an Ill-Defined Issue in Solo and Duo Problem-Solving Contexts Nicos Valanides and Charoula Angeli, University of Cyprus, Cyprus Chapter 10 Family Environment, Epistemological Beliefs, Learning Strategies andAcademic Performance: A Path Analysis Francisco Cano, Granada University, Spain María Cardelle-Elawar, Arizona State University, USA Chapter 11 Global Certainty Beliefs and College Major: How Strong are Socialization Effects? Ulrich Trautwein & Oliver Lüdtke, Max Planck Institute for Human Development, Germany Chapter 12 Epistemological Beliefs, Learning and Teaching: The Hong Kong Cultural Context Kwok-wai Chan, Hong Kong Institute of Education, Hong Kong, China Chapter 13 The Use of Internet-based Instruction for the Development of Epistemological Beliefs: A Case Study in Taiwan Chin-Chung Tsai, National Taiwan University of Science and Technology, Taiwan Chapter 14 Assessing the Epistemological and Pedagogical Beliefs among Pre-service Teachers in Singapore Chai Ching Sing, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore Myint Swe Khine, Murdoch University, Australia PART IV: Perspectives on Domain-Specific Epistemology Chapter 15 Applying the Theory of an Epistemological Belief System to the Investigation of Students' and Professors' Mathematical Beliefs Marlene Schommer-Aikins, Wichita State University, USA Chapter 16 Individual Domain-specific Epistemologies: Implications for Educational Practice Betsy Palmer, Montana State University, USA Rose M. Marra, University of Missouri, USA Chapter 17 Personal Epistemology, Understanding of Multiple Texts, and Learning within Internet Technologies Ivar Bråten, University of Oslo, Norway Chapter 18 Epistemic Metacognition in the Context of Information Searching on the Web Lucia Mason and Angela Boldrin, University of Padua, Italy Chapter 19 Developing Relational Epistemology through Relational Pedagogy: New Ways of Thinking about Personal