SCIENTIFIC ATTITUDE AND CRITICAL THINKING SKILLS IN SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS: THE IMPACT OF GENDER AND MANAGEMENT
Article Sidebar
Main Article Content
Abstract
Students' future academic achievement in secondary school depends on developing both a scientific mindset and critical thinking abilities. The study aimed to measure the level of scientific attitude and critical thinking skills among secondary school students and to identify any significant differences in their scientific attitude and critical thinking skills based on gender and management style. A descriptive survey research design was employed to conduct the study. A sample of 200 Class IX students was randomly selected from government and private schools in the Kohima and Dimapur districts of Nagaland. Two research instruments were used for data collection: the scientific attitude questionnaire developed by the investigators and the Critical Thinking Skills Scale developed by Murthy (2014), which was modified to suit the needs and context of Nagaland. The collected data were analyzed using percentages, means, standard deviations, correlations, chi-square tests, and t-tests for independent samples. The study revealed that the level of scientific attitude and critical thinking skills among secondary school students varied. Scientific attitude and critical thinking skills were not significantly influenced by gender. Scientific attitude and critical thinking skills were significantly influenced by management. It was found that there is a positive correlation between scientific attitude and critical thinking skills among secondary school students. The findings of this study suggest that teachers should design an engaging science curriculum that incorporates more hands-on activities, project-based learning, classroom discussions, model exhibitions, science fairs, science museums, and field trips in order to foster a scientific mindset in their pupils.
JEL Classification Codes: I21, I24, J16.
Downloads
Article Details
Section
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
How to Cite
References
Ahuja, A. (2017). Study of Scientific Attitude in relation to Science Achievement Scores among Secondary School Students. Educational Quest- An International Journal of Education and Applied Social Sciences, 8(1), 9–16. https://doi.org/10.5958/2230-7311.2017.00002.2
Budiharti, R., & Waras, N. S. (2018). Analysis of students’ scientific attitude and behaviour change effects in blended learning supported by the I-spring Suite 8 application. Journal of Physics: Conference Series, 1022(1), 1-10. https://doi.org/10.1088/1742-6596/1022/1/012024
Duran, M., & Dökme, I. (2016). The effect of the inquiry-based learning approach on student's critical-thinking skills. Eurasia Journal of Mathematics Science and Technology Education, 12(12), 2887-2908 https://doi.org/10.12973/eurasia.2016.02311a
Harsharan Singh. (2018). Superstitious Behavior and Scientific attitude among students of professional colleges in relation to their gender and locus of control. (Publication No. 10603/300510) [Doctoral Dissertation, Desh Bhagat University]. Shodhganga.
Hassan, D., & Ratnakar, G. P. (2012). A Study of Relationship Between Environmental Awareness and Scientific Attitudes among Higher Secondary Students. Indian Journal of Applied Research, 1(12), 57–61.
Kaur, G. (2013). Scientific Attitude in Relation to Critical Thinking Among Teachers. Educationia Confab, 2(8), 24–29. Retrieved from https://www.scribd.com/doc/233850471/Kaur-Gurpreet-2013-Scientific-Attitude-in-Relation-to-Critical-Thinking-Among-Teachers-Educationia-Confab-Vol-2-No-8-August-2013
Khan, M., Abid Siddiqui, M., & Malone, K. L. (2022). Scientific attitudes: Gender differences, impact on Physics scores and choices to study Physics at higher levels among pre-college STEM students. International Journal of Science Education, 44(11), 1816–1839. https://doi.org/10.1080/09500693.2022.2097331
McMahon, G. (2009). Critical Thinking and ICT Integration in a Western Australian Secondary School. International Forum of Educational Technology & Society, 12(4), 269–281. https://doi.org/10.2307/jeductechsoci.12.4.269
Ministry of Education. (2020). National Educational Policy 2020 (NEP, 2020). Retrieved July 21, 2024, from https://www.education.gov.in/sites/upload_files/mhrd/files/NEP_Final_English_0.pdf
Misra, K., & Srivastava, S. (2016). Factors Affecting Scientific Attitude of IX Grade Students. Indian Educational Review, 54(1), 24-34. Retrieved from http://14.139.250.109:8090/index.php/ier/article/view/2981
Mittal, R. (2017). Junior college students' critical thinking skills and dispositions in relation to their goal orientation and learning strategies. (Publication No. 10603/282955) [Doctoral Dissertation, University of Mumbai]. Shodhganga.
Murthy, C. G. V. (2014). Manual for Critical Thinking Scale. Agra: National Psychological Corporation.
Nehru, J. (1946). The discovery of India. The Signet Press.
Olasehinde, K. J., & Olatoye, R. A. (2014). Scientific attitude, attitude to science and science achievement of senior secondary school students in Katsina State, Nigeria. Journal of Educational and Social Research, 4(1), 445-452. https://doi.org/10.5901/jesr.2014.v4n1p445
Pal, Y. (2005). National Curriculum Framework 2005. Retrieved from https://ncert.nic.in/pdf/nc-framework/nf2005-english.pdf
Ramya, M. R. (2019). Effect of social constructivist strategies of teaching Science on scientific attitude critical thinking and social skills of secondary school students. (Publication No. 10603/341581) [Doctoral Dissertation, University of Mysore]. Shodhganga.
Sherafat, R. (2016). Effect of critical thinking study habits and self-esteem on academic achievement among secondary and senior secondary school students. (Publication No. 10603/200826) [Doctoral Dissertation, University of Mysore]. Shodhganga.
Singh, V. P. (2014). A Study of Scientific Attitude among Learners in Botswana. School Science a Quarterly Journal of Science Education, 52(4), 32–37.
Solihati, N., & Hikmat, A. (2018). Critical Thinking Tasks Manifested in Indonesian Language Textbooks for Senior Secondary Students. SAGE Open, 8(3), 1-8. https://doi.org/10.1177/2158244018802164
Suastra, I. W., & Ristiati, N. P. (2019, June). Developing critical thinking, scientific attitude, and self-efficacy in students through project-based learning and authentic assessment in science teaching at junior high school. In Journal of Physics: Conference Series (Vol. 1233, No. 1, p. 012087). IOP Publishing.
Suryawati, E., & Osman, K. (2018). Contextual learning: Innovative approach towards the development of students’ scientific attitude and natural science performance. Eurasia Journal of Mathematics, Science and Technology Education, 14(1), 61–76. https://doi.org/10.12973/ejmste/79329
Tous, M. D., & Haghighi, S. (2016). Developing Critical Thinking with Debate: Evidence from Iranian Male and Female Students Developing Critical Thinking with Debate. In Haghighi. Informal Logic, 36(1), 64–82. https://doi.org/10.22329/il.v36i1.4357
Walsh, C., Lewandowski, H. J., & Holmes, N. G. (2022). Skills-focused lab instruction improves critical thinking skills and experimentation views for all students. Physical Review Physics Education Research, 18(1), 1–18. https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevPhysEducRes.18.010128
World Health Organization. (1996). Life Skills Education Planning for Research. Retrieved from https://iris.who.int/bitstream/handle/10665/338491/MNH-PSF-96.2.Rev.1-eng.pdf
Yadav, M. K., & Singh, V. K. (2017). Scientific Attitude and Gender Differences in Biology. School Science a Quarterly Journal of Science Education, 55(1), 19–25. Retrieved from https://ncert.nic.in/pdf/publication/journalsandperiodicals/schoolscience/School_Science-March2017.pdf
Zulirfan, I., Osman, K., & Salehudin, S. N. M. (2018). Take-home-experiment: Enhancing students’ scientific attitude. Journal of Baltic Science Education, 17(5), 828–837. Retrieved from https://oaji.net/articles/2017/987-1539418416.pdf