Students and school characteristics related to elementary school students' views of the nature of science

HACIEMİNOĞLU E., Ertepinar H., YILMAZ TÜZÜN Ö., ÇAKIR H.

EDUCATION 3-13, vol.43, no.6, pp.698-719, 2015 (ESCI) identifier identifier

  • Publication Type: Article / Article
  • Volume: 43 Issue: 6
  • Publication Date: 2015
  • Doi Number: 10.1080/03004279.2013.865655
  • Journal Name: EDUCATION 3-13
  • Journal Indexes: Emerging Sources Citation Index (ESCI), Scopus
  • Page Numbers: pp.698-719
  • Keywords: nature of science, student-level factors, school-level factors, elementary students, hierarchical linear modelling, EPISTEMOLOGICAL BELIEFS, TEACHERS CONCEPTIONS, SOCIOECONOMIC-STATUS, TEACHING NATURE, GRADERS VIEWS, ACHIEVEMENT, MOTIVATION, INSTRUCTION, EXPLORATION, KNOWLEDGE
  • Middle East Technical University Affiliated: Yes

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to investigate student- and school-level factors that help to explain the difference in the nature of science (NOS) views. Overall, the design of this study is correlational. The sample consisted of 3062 students enrolled in the sixth, seventh, and eighth grades of elementary schools in Turkey. A hierarchical linear modelling was selected as a modelling technique. This study has established the importance of the student's socioeconomic background, learning approaches undertaken, self-efficacy, and motivational goals in the formation of their NOS views. The findings reveal that quality of both the physical infrastructure of schools and the educational resources in schools, parent educational levels, student achievement, selfefficacy, experience of meaningful learning, and learning goal orientation are positively related to different dimensions of student NOS views. Additionally, performance goal orientation and rote learning approaches have a negative relationship with different dimensions of student NOS views.