This survey study on students attitudes towards science was conducted in
Papua New Guinea. It involved 200 randomly selected grade six students in
eight selected community (primary) schools (4 urban and 4 rural) of four
provinces.
There were six research questions to focus the study.
The instruments consisted of 9 Students Background Questions, 9 interview
questions, 43 Students Science Attitude Questionnaire Items, and a 20-item
cognitive test. The former three sets of instruments were trialled in two
schools. The test questions were not trialled as they were trialled
previously in several schools within PNG.
The 43 Likert-type items were divided into five categories - curiosity,
enjoyment, science learning, perceived achievement, and relevance. Each
category was assigned 10 items, with the exception of perceived
achievement which had three items. About half of the the statements in a
category were negatively worded. A student had to put a tick in a box next
to a statement according to his or her feelings. The choices were given by
the five-point scale - Strongly Agree (SA), Agree (A), Hot Sure (NS),
Disagree (D), and Strongly Disagree (SD) along with three laces (smiling,
uncertain and frowning) which were added as interest,
From the twenty five students in a study school, a group of 6 students (3
males and 3 females) was randomly selected for face to face interview.
The responses in the items associated with the five categories (dependent
variables) were used to assess various student characteristics (independent
variables) of parent and home background (i.e. parent educational levels
and language use at home), gender (male and female), biogeographical
location (urban and rural), and level of performance in standardized
cognitive test (above average, average and below average).
Statistical techniques of correlation coefficient, analysis of variance and
factor analysis were used in analysing the responses but the results were
not clear due insufficient trialling and test of reliability with the limited
period in which the data had to be collected. As consequence, chi-square
test (contingency tables) was used as alternative statistical test to
determine significant differences in responses to the items at 0.05 level.
With the exception of perceived achievement, student responses to the
items on the categories were generally and satisfactorily positive. The
mean levels of attitudes in the categories were not as high as one may
expect (Table 5.1).
Relatively, few of the items associated with student independent variables
showed significant differences.
There was generally no significant differences in parent and home
backgrounds (i.e. language use and parent educational background). Urban
students tended to be more positive than the rural students, but. this not
could be generalised due to a small number of items with significant
differences.
Male students showed more positive attitudes to science than female
students, but this was limited to a small number of items.
The students with above average scores in the cognitive test showed more
positive attitudes to science than those of average and below verage scores.
However, the number of items were quite small, and therefore could not be
generalised.
Points of improvement in the practice of teaching and future research in
attitudes to science are recommended. For instance, the present officially
prescribed time of 40 minutes per week for science should be changed to
1.5 to 2 hours after further investigation. The reason for this is that it
requires some preparation before actual lessons begin (e.g. collecting
materials by groups) and the students are generally slow.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:ADTP/219076 |
| Date | January 1990 |
| Creators | Kappey, J. R., n/a |
| Publisher | University of Canberra. Education |
| Source Sets | Australiasian Digital Theses Program |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Rights | ), Copyright J. R. Kappey |
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