Assessing South China (Guangzhou) High School Students' Views on Nature of Science: A Validation Study

Autor/inn/en	Deng, Feng; Chai, Ching Sing; Tsai, Chin-Chung; Lin, Tzung-Jin
Titel	Assessing South China (Guangzhou) High School Students' Views on Nature of Science: A Validation Study
Quelle	In: Science & Education, 23 (2014) 4, S.843-863 (21 Seiten)Infoseite zur Zeitschrift PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	0926-7220
DOI	10.1007/s11191-013-9674-6
Schlagwörter	Foreign Countries; Science Instruction; Scientific Principles; Test Construction; Test Validity; High School Students; Knowledge Level; Secondary School Science; Qualitative Research; Test Reliability; Student Attitudes; Gender Differences; Age Differences; Social Influences; Cultural Influences; China + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Ausland; Teaching of science; Science education; Natural sciences Lessons; Naturwissenschaftlicher Unterricht; Testaufbau; Testvalidität; High school; High schools; Student; Students; Oberschule; Schüler; Schülerin; Studentin; Wissensbasis; Qualitative Forschung; Testreliabilität; Schülerverhalten; Geschlechterkonflikt; Age; Difference; Age difference; Altersunterschied; Sozialer Einfluss; Cultural influence; Kultureinfluss
Abstract	Research on students' views on nature of science (VNOS) in Asian countries such as China is notably lacking. This study aimed to develop and validate an instrument to measure South China high school students' VNOS. Based on the previously acquired qualitative data, the instrument included seven VNOS dimensions which reflect the crucial aspects of NOS indicated by the literature and/or the dominating ideology in China (i.e., Marxism). A sample (N = 604) was randomly divided into two groups used for exploratory analyses and confirmatory analyses. The results indicated that the instrument expressed satisfactory reliability and validity and the seven NOS dimensions could be explained by a higher-order dimension. That is, the data of this study supported the multi-dimensional framework that treats VNOS as comprising several more-or-less correlated dimensions. Two distinct dimensions, namely "Accumulative-Empirical Source" and "Pragmatic Justification" which have not been explicitly specified in the past literature, were found. In addition, the Chinese high school students generally held a constructivist/relativist-oriented view of all seven dimensions. Differences in gender and grade level were hardly observed in any dimension of the instrument. The findings are further discussed through a socio-cultural lens to enrich the current understanding of VNOS. (As Provided).
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Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2017/4/10