A description is made of the first steps taken towards the development of a model of epistemic beliefs, which is conceptually based on the learning process. In two studies, which were conducted in the domains of mathematics and physics, a quest was made to secure the first evidence of the usefulness of the model. The most important results of the studies were: (1) A questionnaire to assess epistemic beliefs could be developed and the factorial validity of this questionnaire could be confirmed. (2) Epistemic beliefs correlated in a meaningful manner with various variables. (3) Epistemic beliefs proved to be better predictors of scholastic achievement and scholastic motivation than IQ. Overall, a positive resume could be drawn for the first steps taken in the development of an Epistemic Learner Model. (Contains 6 tables and 1 figure.)