Views about science
Judith Bennett and Sylvia Hogarth of York University have developed a new research technique to gain greater insight into students' attitudes towards science
Judith Bennett and Sylvia Hogarth of York University have developed a new research technique to gain greater insight into students' attitudes towards science.1 Previous 'pencil-and-paper' approaches have only collected descriptive data from which broad conclusions are drawn, such as science is more attractive to boys than girls. This new technique, in which students are first asked to state their level of agreement or disagreement with a statement and then asked to give a reason as to why they hold that view, provides both descriptive information and explanatory information.
The researchers used their new approach in a survey of 280 secondary students from four mixed-ability schools. To study how their views towards science might change with age the students were drawn from three age groups - 11, 14 and 16.
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