An Investigation of Students' Personality Traits and Attitudes toward Science

The purposes of this study were to validate an instrument of attitudes toward science and to investigate grade level, type of school, and gender differences in Taiwan's students' personality traits and attitudes toward science as well as predictors of attitudes toward science. Nine hundred...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:International journal of science education 2011-05, Vol.33 (7), p.1001-1028
Main Authors: Hong, Zuway-R., Lin, Huann-shyang
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Age Differences
Attitudes toward science
Classroom discussion
Comparative Analysis
Correlation
Cross-section study
Elementary and secondary school students
Elementary School Students
Factor Analysis
Foreign Countries
Gender Differences
High School Students
Institutional Characteristics
Interviews
Junior High School Students
Personality Traits
Predictor Variables
Psychometrics
Questionnaires
Science education
Science Instruction
Science Interests
Scores
Student Attitudes
Taiwan
Test Construction
Test Validity
Validation studies
Vocational Education
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Summary:The purposes of this study were to validate an instrument of attitudes toward science and to investigate grade level, type of school, and gender differences in Taiwan's students' personality traits and attitudes toward science as well as predictors of attitudes toward science. Nine hundred and twenty-two elementary students and 1,954 secondary students completed the School Student Questionnaire in 2008. Factor analyses, correlation analyses, ANOVAs, and regressions were used to compare the similarities and differences among male and female students in different grade levels. The findings were as follows: female students had higher interest in science and made more contributions in teams than their male counterparts across all grade levels. As students advanced through school, student scores on the personality trait scales of Conscientiousness and Openness sharply declined; students' scores on Neuroticism dramatically increased. Elementary school and academic high school students had significantly higher total scores on interest in science than those of vocational high and junior high school students. Scores on the scales measuring the traits of Agreeableness, Extraversion, and Conscientiousness were the most significant predictors of students' attitudes toward science. Implications of these findings for classroom instruction are discussed.
ISSN:0950-0693
1464-5289
DOI:10.1080/09500693.2010.524949