An Investigation into the Relationship between Adults’ Levels of Education-Related Epistemic Freedom and Epistemic Violence

Abstract

The present study investigates the relationship between epistemic freedom and epistemic violence. The problematization was based on adults. Due to adults’ responsibilities for education, the study focuses on adults’ levels of education-related epistemic freedom and epistemic violence. The research problem was analyzed with the correlational research model. The sample consists of 129 participants between 22 and 67 years. The data were collected with epistemic violence-freedom scale. The study revealed that adults’ level of accepting education-related epistemic violence and resorting to education-related epistemic violence were “moderate” and “low”, respectively, while their enjoyment of epistemic freedom in the past was between “moderate” and “high” and their tendency to education-related epistemic freedom was “high”. The authors found a significant, negative, and weak relationship between adults’ levels of “resorting to epistemic violence” and levels of “enjoyment of education-related epistemic freedom in the past” and “their tendency to education-related epistemic freedom”. The authors also observed a significant, positive, and moderate relationship between adults’ levels of “enjoyment of education-related epistemic freedom in the past” and “their tendency to education-related epistemic freedom”. The authors suggest that individuals should be provided with a freedom-based education and setting.