title: Medical students' epistemological beliefs: Implications for curriculum.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Epistemological beliefs have a pervasive influence on learning and practice. Understanding these beliefs and how they develop, could play an important role in medical student training and shape later clinical practice.
  
  
  METHODS
  The epistemological beliefs of first-year medical students from an Australian and Malaysian university were explored using a domain-specific instrument.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There were significant differences between the disciplinary epistemological beliefs of Australian and Malaysian medical students across many items, and two specific factors (Certainty of Knowledge and Justification for Knowing).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These findings have potential implications for teaching in biomedical disciplines and adaptation of Western curriculum innovations in Eastern educational contexts. Further work is needed to confirm and understand any epistemological differences and subsequent implications for learning and teaching in medicine.
authors.affiliation: School of Medicine, Faculty of Health, University of Tasmania, Hobart, Australia.
authors.forename: Dwight
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Assenheimer
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Griffith University, Brisbane, Australia.
authors.forename: Katherine
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Knox
authors.affiliation: International Medical University, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
authors.forename: Vishna Devi
authors.initials: VD
authors.lastname: Nadarajah
authors.affiliation: School of Medicine, Faculty of Health, University of Tasmania, Hobart, Australia; Centre for Learning and Teaching, Curtin University, Perth, Western Australia, .
authors.forename: Craig
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Zimitat
mesh_terms: D001315:Australia; D003479:Curriculum; D004504:Education, Medical, Undergraduate / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D019359:Knowledge; D008296:Malaysia; D008297:Male; D013337:Students, Medical / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires