Abstract

SOUZA, Elizabeth Pinto Valente de  and  PEIXOTO, Mauricio Abreu Pinto. Epistemological Beliefs and the Learning Process of Homeopathy. Rev. Bras. Educ. Med. [online]. 2015, vol.39, n.2, pp.218-225. ISSN 1981-5271.  https://doi.org/10.1590/1981-52712015v39n2e02242013.

A clinical practice was observed among homeopathic doctors which was at odds with their defence of the homeopathic model based on its rationale. It was hypothesized that epistemological beliefs modulate the translation from theoretical knowledge to its clinical application. Epistemological beliefs are individual convictions related to knowledge and its aquisition and which act as cognitive mediators. The objective of the study was to identify the existing relationship between the epistemological beliefs of medical doctors who had completed their specialization in Homeopathy and the difficulty experienced in incorporating the homeopathic medical model, resulting in distinct medical practices. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with fourteen homeopathic doctors, and the material underwent content analysis, relating the lines of reasoning argued by each interviewee to the types of epistemological beliefs. A relationship is suggested between the epistemological beliefs and the medical practice of these doctors which explains the observed difficulty in grasping the homeopathic model. The understanding of this interdependence, by both teacher and student, could raise awareness of the teaching-learning process and lead toward better results in both the learning and the practice of Homeopathy.

Keywords : –Homeopathy; –Teaching; –Learning; –Medical Education.

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