ACTIVITY 2.2: Surveying Students' Knowledge and Attitudes About Science

In this activity, you will use a survey instrument to find out about student knowledge and attitudes toward science. The instrument will by no means enable you to make conclusive statements about student knowledge and attitudes about science, but it will give you a sampling of their performance and attitude.

Materials

Science Survey Instrument

Procedure

1. The survey instrument has two parts: a) science content and b) attitudes about science. The science content will consist of the five questions (samples from the NAEP test)

2. The attitude part will consist of six attitudinal questions. You might want to have the student explain their response to the attitudinal questions.

3. Seek the permission of the school, the teacher and the students to whom you will administer the survey instrument. Remember you responsibilities for the human rights of the students to whom you will test. You should explain the nature of the survey to the contact person in the school, and then follow the procedures set forth by the school.

4. Administer the instrument to a sample of students in one of the following ways:

a. Ten students at the 6th or 7th grade and the 11th grade

b. An equal number of boys and girls at any grade level

c. A small sample of students enrolled in a biology, chemistry and physics course.

5. After administering the instrument, tabulate the results in such a way that you can compare the obvious groups in your study, e.g. 6th graders versus 11th graders, boys versus girls.

Minds On Strategies.

1. How did students perform at each of the proficiency levels?

2. What differences in proficiency existed in the groups you compared?

3. How do students perceive science? Are you surprised?

4. How do the results compare to the NAEP results?

 Science Survey Instrument

PART I

1. Which of the following is the best indication of an approaching storm?

a. A seismogram that is a straight line

b. A decrease in barometric pressure

c. A clearing sky after a cold front passes

d. A sudden drop in the humidity

2. Why may you become ill after visiting a friend who is the sick with the flu?

  • The room your friend was in was too warm.
  • You ate the same kind of food your friend ate.
  • You did not dress properly.
  • The virus that causes the flue entered your body.

3. Blocks A, B, and C are the same size. Blocks B and C float on water. Block A sinks to the bottom. Which one of the following do you know is TRUE?

  • Block A weighs more than block B
  • Block B weighs more than block C.
  • Block C weighs more than block A.
  • Block B weighs more than block A.
  • I don't know.

PART II

Label each from this choice: Strongly Agree (SA); Agree (A), Netural (N), Disagree (D), Strongly Disagree (SD).

4. Knowing science will help me earn a living.

5. I will use science in many ways when I am an adult.

6. Science will be important to me in my life's work.

7. When you have science in school, do you like it? YES NO

8. When you have science in school, does it make you feel interested? YES NO

9. Are there things you learn in science useful to you when you are not in school? YES NO