Abstract
The relationship between philosophy and learning is increasingly important in educational environments characterised by rapid technological change, complex knowledge demands and continuous adaptation. This study examined the extent to which philosophical inquiry, critical reflection, epistemic openness, reflective thinking and intellectual curiosity influence learningcurve performance. The study adopted a quantitative, crosssectional research design and analysed 880 observations using descriptive statistics, reliability analysis, Pearson product-moment correlation and multiple regression. Data were conceptualised through five-point Likert-scale measures. The results indicated satisfactory internal consistency across all constructs, with Cronbach’s alpha coefficients ranging from .884 to .920. Descriptive results showed generally positive perceptions of philosophical cognition and learning-curve performance. Correlation analysis revealed positive and statistically significant relationships between philosophical inquiry, critical reflection, epistemic openness, reflective thinking, intellectual curiosity and learning-curve performance. Multiple regression produced an R of .764 and an R² of .584, indicating that the five philosophical dimensions jointly explained 58.4% of the variance in learning-curve performance. Intellectual curiosity produced the largest standardised regression coefficient (β = .284, p < .001), followed by philosophical inquiry (β = .206, p < .001), reflective thinking (β = .206, p < .001), critical reflection (β = .203, p < .001) and epistemic openness (β = .177, p < .001). The findings suggested that philosophical engagement is statistically associated with the capacity to acquire, evaluate, revise and apply knowledge. The study contributed to the philosophy-oflearning literature by conceptualising learning as an iterative cognitive process rather than merely an accumulation of information.
Keywords: philosophy, learning curve, inquiry, critical reflection, epistemic openness, intellectual curiosity, reflective thinking.
Author names:
Ukpong Uwem Johnson
Department of Public Administration,
University of Calabar, Cross River, Calabar,
Nigeria. ORCID:0000-0002-7549-4098; E-
mail:uwemjohnson5@unical.edu.ng
Christopher Akpotu
Department of Business Administration, Niger
Delta University, Amassoma, Bayelsa State,
Nigeria. ORCID:0000-0003-3261-7040; E-mail:
chrisakpotu4u@ndu.edu.ng
Otu Offiong Duke
Department of Public Administration,
University of Calabar, Cross River, Nigeria.
ORCID:0000-0002-0092-3708; E-
mail:otuduke76@unical.edu.ng
Cristiana Okon Umoren
Department of Business Education, University of Calabar, Cross River, Nigeria.
ORCID:0009-0008-5286-8190;
E-mail: iniewechristiana@gmail.com
Bayo Princewill Lekara
Department of Business Administration, Rivers
State University, Rivers, Nigeria. ORCID:0000-0002-0205-6476;
E-mail:bayo.princewill@ust.edu.ng
Okon Unwana Ita
Department of Public Administration,
University of Calabar, Cross River, Nigeria.
ORCID:0000-0001-6372-256X; E-
mail:unwanaita2025@unical.edu.ng
Gregory Victoria Omonfoman
Department of Public Administration,
University of Calabar, Cross River, Nigeria.
ORCID:0009-0000-8773-4573; E-
mail:vicomonfoman@gmail.com
Copyright © [2026] The Author(s). Published by the Journal of People and Worldviews (JPW). This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) Licence, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author(s) and source are properly credited.