UC Berkeley

Assumptions about the nature and acquisition of knowledge—­‘epistemological assumptions’—profoundly influence education, particularly through curricula. However, this influence is indirect and implicit, thus requiring careful tracing to uncover its impacts. Although prior research has examined from different perspectives the influence of epistemological assumptions on curricula, few studies have systematically traced their effects across key curricular dimensions, extending down to their impacts on student learning. This paper introduces a multi-level framework that traces the influence of epistemological assumptions across five interrelated levels: (a) epistemological assumptions, (b) educational epistemological assumptions (assumptions about how knowledge should be taught and learned), (c) pedagogical principles, (d) instructional methods, and (e) effects on student learning. The framework’s utility is demonstrated by comparing curricula informed by empiricist epistemological assumptions with those of developmental education (DE), or (Neo-)Vygotskian approaches, grounded in dialectical–materialist assumptions, opposed to empiricist epistemologies. This multi-level comparative analysis illustrates how alternative epistemological foundations can produce significant cascading effects on teaching and learning, with DE curricula here mitigating recurrent difficulties common in empiricist-informed education. By showing how distinct epistemological assumptions shape curricula and student learning, this framework provides a valuable tool for critically analysing curricula, exploring alternatives, and rethinking educational theory and practice.