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.
