Understanding ways of knowing: A mixed methods approach

The way one evaluates and justifies knowledge (their way of knowing) has important implications for reasoning in a post-truth world full of misinformation and fake news. Using a mixed methods approach, this research explored how people know what they know. Interviews with six adults revealed the justifications, sources, influences, meaning, and outcomes of knowledge and knowing. A follow-up survey with 345 adults identified three groups of individuals that use different means of justification across various socio-scientific topics. The results contribute to current models and measures of knowing and can be used when developing interventions to promote adaptive approaches to knowing.