Disciplinary differences in epistemic beliefs and the moderating role in research approach preferences among postgraduate students in Tanzania

<title>Abstract</title> <p>This study investigates disciplinary differences in epistemic beliefs and examines how academic discipline moderates the relationship between these beliefs and postgraduate students’ research approach preferences. Grounded in Hofer and Pintrich's (1997) framework, epistemic beliefs are conceptualised across four dimensions: simplicity, certainty, sources, and justification of knowledge. A quantitative cross-sectional design was employed, involving 479 postgraduate students from diverse disciplines at a public university in Tanzania. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire adapted from the Epistemic Beliefs Inventory (EBI) and analysed through multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) and ordinal logistic regression. The findings reveal significant disciplinary variations in epistemic beliefs, particularly regarding the simplicity and certainty of knowledge, reinforcing the domain-specific nature of epistemic cognition. Furthermore, discipline significantly moderates the relationship between epistemic beliefs and research approach preferences, suggesting that epistemic beliefs shape methodological choices rather than being universally determined. Overall, the study contributes to the literature by linking epistemic cognition to research decision-making and underscores the need to integrate epistemological awareness into postgraduate training to foster methodological flexibility and interdisciplinary competence.</p>