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Spanish Secondary-School Science Teachers’ Beliefs About Science-Technology-Society (STS) Issues

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Abstract

This study analyzes the beliefs about science-technology-society, and other Nature of Science (NOS) themes, of a large sample (613) of Spanish pre- and in-service secondary education teachers through their responses to 30 items of the Questionnaire of Opinions on Science, Technology and Society. The data were processed by means of a multiple response model to generate the belief indices used as the bases for subsequent quantitative and qualitative analyses. Other studies have reported a negative profile of teachers’ understanding in this area, but the diagnosis emerging from the present work is more complex. There was a mix of appropriate beliefs coexisting with others that are inappropriate on the topics analyzed. The overall assessment, however, is negative since clearly teachers need to have a better understanding of these questions. There were scant differences between the pre- and in-service teachers, and hence no decisive evidence that the practice of teaching contributes to improving the in-service teachers’ understanding. These results suggest there is an urgent need to bring the initial and continuing education of science teachers up to date to improve their understanding of these topics of science curricula, and thus improve the teaching of science.

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Notes

  1. See Abd-El-Khalick and Lederman (2000), Abd-El-Khalick and Akerson (2004), Abell and Smith (1994), Aikenhead and Ryan (1992), Gallagher (1991), Haidar (1999), Hammrich (1997), King (1991), Lederman (1992), Lederman et al. (2001), Pomeroy (1993), Rubba and Harkness (1993), Tsai (2002).

  2. See Abell and Smith (1994), Aguirre et al. (1990), Hanuscin et al. (2006), Lin and Chen (2002), Liu and Lederman (2007), Mellado (1998), Tairab (2001), Yalvac et al. (2007).

  3. See Abd-El-Khalick et al. (1998), Akerson et al. (2009), Aguirre et al. (1990), King (1991), Lederman (1999, 2007).

  4. But see Lin and Chen (2002), Liu and Lederman (2007), Ma (2009), Yalvac et al. (2007).

  5. This information is provided by the Ministry of Science and Innovation, and it is available from: http://www.micinn.es/stfls/MICINN/Prensa/FICHEROS/2010/NP_Encuesta_Percepción_Pública_de_la%20Ciencia_0810.pdf (last accessed: 10 November 2011).

  6. See for example, Celik and Bayrakçeken (2006), Dass (2005), Dogan and Abd-El-Khalick (2008), Martin-Hansen (2008), Tedman (2005).

  7. The set of 30 items selected from COCTS for the study is available at: http://www.oei.es/COCTS/esp/index.html.

  8. See for instance, Abell and Smith (1994), Apostolou and Koulaidis (2010), Irez (2006), Ma (2009), Yalvac et al. (2007), Lederman (1992), among others.

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Acknowledgments

The present study corresponds to grant SEJ2007-67090/EDUC funded by the national I+D+i 2007 programme of the Ministry of Education and Science (Spain) and the support of the Ibero-American States Organization (OEI).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Departamento de Pedagogía Aplicada y Psicología de la Educación, Universidad de las Islas Baleares, Baleares, Spain

    Ángel Vázquez-Alonso

  2. Departamento de Didáctica de las Ciencias, Universidad de Sevilla, Sevilla, Spain

    Antonio García-Carmona

  3. Departamento de Psicología, Universidad de las Islas Baleares, Baleares, Spain

    María Antonia Manassero-Mas

  4. Departamento de Biología, Universidad de las Islas Baleares, Baleares, Spain

    Antoni Bennàssar-Roig

Authors
  1. Ángel Vázquez-Alonso
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  2. Antonio García-Carmona
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Correspondence to Antonio García-Carmona.

Appendix 1

Appendix 1

Example of an item that displays several positions with the highest positive indices—or strong points (superscript [1])—and with the lowest negative indices—or weak points (superscript [2])—of the teachers’ beliefs about the STS–NOS:

10421 In order to improve the quality of living in our country, it would be better to spend money on technological research RATHER THAN scientific research.

  1. A.

    Invest in technological research because it will improve production, economic growth, and unemployment. These are far more important than anything that scientific research has to offer.[1]

Invest in both:

  1. B.

    Because there is really no difference between science and technology.

  2. C.

    Because scientific knowledge is needed to make technological advances.[2]

  3. D.

    Because they interact and complement each other equally. Technology gives as much to science as science gives to technology.[1]

  4. E.

    Because each in its own way brings advantages to society. For example, science brings medical and environmental advances, while technology brings improved conveniences and efficiency.

  5. F.

    Invest in scientific research—that is, medical or environmental research—because these are more important than making better appliances, computers, or other products of technological research.

  6. G.

    Invest in scientific research because it improves the quality of life (for example, medical cures, answers to pollution, and increased knowledge). Technological research, on the other hand, has worsened the quality of life (for example, atomic bombs, pollution, automation, etc.).[1]

  7. H.

    Invest in neither. The quality of life will not improve with advances in science and technology, but will improve with investments in other sectors of society (for example, social welfare, education, job creation programs, the fine arts, foreign aid, etc.).[1]

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Vázquez-Alonso, Á., García-Carmona, A., Manassero-Mas, M.A. et al. Spanish Secondary-School Science Teachers’ Beliefs About Science-Technology-Society (STS) Issues. Sci & Educ 22, 1191–1218 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11191-012-9440-1

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