Change in student beliefs about attitudes toward science in grades 6-9

Results from tables 1 through 8 indicate that significant advantages are present for developing more positive attitudes toward science in all twelve classrooms where STS teaching strategies were used. The results of this study indicate that the STS approach improves more positive attitudes for nearly all students. The results for every grade level and for every teacher indicate significant positive changes in STS classrooms. Further, the reversals are more positive for females than they are for males. STS is seen as positive factor for removing the gender bias which is commonly reported favoring males in science. STS seems effective in reversing the trend from more negative attitudes developed over the years. And yet the more negative attitudes usually found occurred in the textbook-oriented classes. Such a finding is especially significant science the evidence is so overwhelming that typical instruction results in more negative attitudes at the end of the year when compared to the beginning and from grade to grade. This study shows that the attitudes of students in STS sections are significantly better than for students in the textbook-oriented sections.

Previous research indicates that there are gender difference concerning achievement, attitude, and learning strategies in science, often favoring male students over female ones (Kenway & Gough 1998, Tsai, 2000). This study provides comparative data between males and females students as a result of STS instruction; significant differences were found in terms of gender issues in all of the comparisons. The results indicate that when students learn science by using the STS approach, they develop more meaningful learning and deeper understandings of learning and the teaching strategies that are needed to develop process skills and an organizational scheme for achieving scientific literacy. This study indicates that STS-based learning may be a potential way to narrow the gap between male and female students regarding more positive attitude toward science for both.

Attitude and creativity are called the enabling domains by Yager and McCormack (1989). In a real sense learning cannot occur in classrooms where science is not seen as fun, useful, and intriguing. STS is a reform effort that includes student interests, ideas, problems identification, and problem resolutions. Such student-centered efforts may provide the reason for such reversals of the negative attitudes so often found among all students as they progress across the K-16 continuum. Positive attitudes about science, science classes, science teachers, and scientists are worth major attention if the goals of most reform initiatives are to be achieved. Too often the job of the teacher is merely to present information to students while not focusing on or encouraging individual students. It is easy for too many teachers to blame students, parents, school administrators for “turned off” students.