Document Type
Article
Version
preprint
Publication Date
2002
Abstract
It is not common to find media reports on the failures of science education; nor uncommon to hear prestigious scientists publicly lament the rise of anti-science attitudes. Given the position elementary teachers have in influencing children, anti-science sentiment amongst them would be a significant concern. Hence, this article reports an investigation where preservice elementary teachers responded to the Thinking about Science survey instrument. This newly developed instrument addresses the broad relationship of science to nine important areas of society and culture and is intended to reveal the extent of views being consistent with or disagreeing with a commonly held worldview of science portrayed in the media and in popular science and science education literature. Results indicate that elementary teachers discriminate with respect to different aspects of culture and science but they are not anti-science.
WMU ScholarWorks Citation
Cobern, William W. and Loving, Cathleen C., "An Investigation of Preservice Elementary Teachers' Thinking About Science" (2002). Scientific Literacy and Cultural Studies Project. 38.
https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/science_slcsp/38
Published Citation
Cobern, William W., and Cathleen C. Loving. "Investigation of preservice elementary teachers' thinking about science." Journal of Research in Science Teaching 39.10 (2002): 1016-1031.
Comments
SLCSP Paper # 151b