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Attitudes towards science: a review of the literature and its implications

Osborne, Jonathan; Simon, Shirley; Collins, Sue; Collins, Susan; (2003) Attitudes towards science: a review of the literature and its implications. International Journal of Science Education , 25 (9) pp. 1049-1079. Green open access

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Abstract

This article offers a review of the major literature about attitudes to science and its implications over the past 20 years. It argues that the continuing decline in numbers choosing to study science at the point of choice requires a research focus on students? attitudes to science if the nature of the problem is to be understood and remediated. Starting from a consideration of what is meant by attitudes to science, it considers the problems inherent to their measurement and what is known about students' attitudes towards science and the many factors of influence such as gender, teachers, curricula, cultural and other variables. The literature itself points to the crucial importance of gender and the quality of teaching. Given the importance of the latter we argue that there is a greater need for research to identify those aspects of science teaching that make school science engaging for pupils. In particular, a growing body of research on motivation offers important pointers to the kind of classroom environment and activities that might raise pupils' interest in studying school science and a focus for future research.

Type: Article
Title: Attitudes towards science: a review of the literature and its implications
Open access status: An open access version is available from UCL Discovery
Language: English
Additional information: science education review article invited contribution to special edition of IJSE review of 20 years of research into attitudes towards science sets an agenda for future research refereed by 3 international referees 50% share of reviewing the literature for the article, 20% of the writing This is an electronic version of an article published in Osbourne, Jonathan and Simon, Shirley and Collins, Sue (2003) Attitudes towards science: a review of the literature and its implications. International Journal of Science Education, 25 (9). pp. 1049-1079. International Journal of Science Education is available online at: http://www.informaworld.com/10.1080/0950069032000032199
UCL classification: UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Education > UCL Institute of Education
URI: https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10000652
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