2026-04-29T11:11:31Zhttps://riubu.ubu.es/oai/request

oai:riubu.ubu.es:10259/99862025-01-23T01:05:25Zcom_10259_6802com_10259_5086com_10259_2604col_10259_6803

Attitudes towards science and views of nature of science among elementary school students in terms of gender, cultural background and grade level variables Toma, Radu Bogdan Greca Dufranc, Ileana María Orozco Gómez, Martha Lucía Attitudes towards science Nature of science Elementary school Cultural backgrounds TOSRA Educación Didáctica Enseñanza primaria Education Teaching Education, Primary Background: There is a growing interest in investigating attitudes towards science and views of Nature of Science among elementary grade students in terms of gender, cultural backgrounds, and grade level variables. Purpose: The purpose of this study is to examine the attitudes toward science and views of Nature of Science among Spanish students, Spanish students of gypsy ethnicity and secondgeneration Spanish students with east-European heritage, and to determine if their attitudes are related to their views of Nature of Science. Sample: Data for this study was gathered from seven elementary schools in Spain, forming a convenience sample of 149 students enrolled from 2nd to 5th grade. Design and Methods: The Nature of Science Instrument (NOSI) and an adaptation of the Test of Science Related Attitudes scale (TOSRA) were used. Follow-up structured interviews were performed with 15 participants. Results: Regarding gender, boys had better attitudes toward Science than girls but more naïve views of the empirical Nature of Science. In relation to cultural background, second generation Spanish students with east-European heritage reported significantly better attitudes toward Science than Spanish students and Spanish students of gypsy ethnicity. No differences in Nature of Science views were found. Concerning grade level, third graders had more positive attitudes toward Science than fifth and sixth graders and more informed views of the tentative Nature of Science. Finally, no relation between Nature of Science views and attitudes towards Science were identified. Conclusion: This study stress the need to address the steady decline in positive attitude toward Science and to improve students’ views of Nature of Science from early elementary grades, and to use gender and culturally inclusive science teaching strategies. This work was supported by the Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad [EDU2017-89405-R]. 2025-01-22T07:58:45Z 2025-01-22T07:58:45Z 2019-01 info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/acceptedVersion 0263-5143 http://hdl.handle.net/10259/9986 10.1080/02635143.2018.1561433 1470-1138 eng Research in Science & Technological Education. 2019, V. 37, n. 4, p. 492-515 https://doi.org/10.1080/02635143.2018.1561433 Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 Internacional http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess application/pdf Routledge. Taylor and Francis