Are attitudes towards science and technology related to critical areas in science education?

ABSTRACT Background The importance of developing positive attitudes towards science and technology has been widely known, and it reflects a general interest and a strong need to define more explicitly what measures can be taken to improve student attitudes towards science. In Slovakia, in addition to a low interest in scientific jobs, there is another problem related to science: a long-term low level of science literacy. Therefore, we are interested in the ways in which a teacher can improve students’ attitudes towards science, as significant studies highlight the importance of teachers. Purpose In our research, we compared attitudes towards science and technology among teachers of natural sciences with their students’ attitudes. By analysing the teaching process, we sought critical areas in teaching natural sciences, and we also evaluated the relations between attitudes towards science and technology and the teaching process. Sample We explored the opinions of 498 students and 98 teachers of natural science subjects in Slovak secondary and high schools. Design and methods An e-questionnaire was used as a research tool. The processed quantitative data as well as their reliability were analysed statistically in the STATISTICA 8 (Statsoft) programme. Basic dependencies between the items were found by a correlation analysis. For comparing the collected points between individual categories and dimensions the ANOVA software was used. Results The statistical analysis showed a strong influence of the critical areas of teaching on student attitudes with respect to science. The most critical area was practical work in science, which was closely linked with inquiry-oriented activities in class. Conclusions In the conclusion, we propose further measures for improving student attitudes towards science and technology that teachers should focus on if they want to positively influence their students. The suggested measures could support the development of science literacy with the emphasis on the utilization of science in everyday life.