Turkish adaptation of questionnaire on attitudes towards engineers and scientists

Ayşegül Ergün; Muhammed Doğukan Balçın

Vol. 10 No. 1 (2017) IEJEE

Turkish adaptation of questionnaire on attitudes towards engineers and scientists

Ayşegül Ergün
Muhammed Doğukan Balçın

Published October 2, 2017 | Pages: 103-113 | Views: 553

Download PDF

SHARE

Abstract

The aim of this research was to present the Turkish adaptation of the survey for Middle-School Students’ Attitudes toward Engineers and Scientists prepared by Lyons, Fralick and Kearn (2009) 32 items in a 5-point Likert type scale. The questionnaire was administered to 707 students receiving education in the fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth grades in state schools in the Ministry of National Education. Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) and Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) were used to examine the structural validity of the questionnaire. SPSS 21 and LISREL 8.7 software were used for EFA and CFA, respectively. A structure consisting of 22 items and two factors, and accounting for 41.88% of total variance was obtained after the EFA. To evaluate the questionnaire’s reliability, Cronbach’s Alpha internal consistency coefficient, corrected-item total correlation and the significance of differences between item averages of meta-groups and subgroups (27%) were evaluated using t-test. Cronbach’s alpha internal consistency coefficient was found to be .83 for the overall questionnaire. As a result of the study, the Turkish adaptation of the questionnaire, prepared for determination of secondary school students’ attitudes towards scientists and engineers, was conducted and a valid and reliable measurement tool was obtained.

<p>The aim of this research was to present the Turkish adaptation of the survey for Middle-School Students’ Attitudes toward Engineers and Scientists prepared by Lyons, Fralick and Kearn (2009) 32 items in a 5-point Likert type scale. The questionnaire was administered to 707 students receiving education in the fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth grades in state schools in the Ministry of National Education. Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) and Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) were used to examine the structural validity of the questionnaire. SPSS 21 and LISREL 8.7 software were used for EFA and CFA, respectively. A structure consisting of 22 items and two factors, and accounting for 41.88% of total variance was obtained after the EFA. To evaluate the questionnaire’s reliability, Cronbach’s Alpha internal consistency coefficient, corrected-item total correlation and the significance of differences between item averages of meta-groups and subgroups (27%) were evaluated using t-test. Cronbach’s alpha internal consistency coefficient was found to be .83 for the overall questionnaire. As a result of the study, the Turkish adaptation of the questionnaire, prepared for determination of secondary school students’ attitudes towards scientists and engineers, was conducted and a valid and reliable measurement tool was obtained.</p>

Listen -

References

Akgunduz, D. (2016). A research about the placement of the top thousand students in STEM fields in Turkey between 2000 and 2014. Eurasia Journal of Mathematics, Science & Technology Education, 12(5), 1365-1377.
Barton, A. C., Hindin, T. J., Contento, I. R., Trudeau, M., Yang, K., Hagiwara, S., & Koch, P. D. (2001). Underprivileged urban mothers' perspectives on science. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 38(6), 688-711.
Buldu, M. (2006). Young children's perceptions of scientists: a preliminary study. Educational Research, 48(1), 121-132.
Büyüköztürk, Ş., Akgün, Ö., Kahveci, Ö. & Demirel, F. (2004). The validity and reliability study of the Turkish version of the motivated strategies for learning questionnaire. Educational Sciences: Theory & Practice, 4(2), 207-239.
Büyüköztürk, Ş. (2017). Data analysis handbook for social studies: Statistics, research pattern SPSS applications and interpretation (23th Ed.). Ankara: Pegem Academy.
Bybee, R.W. (2010). Advancing STEM Education: A 2020 Vision. Technology and Engineering Teacher, 70 (1), 30-35.
Capobianco, B. M., Diefes‐dux, H. A., Mena, I., & Weller, J. (2011). What is an engineer? Implications of elementary school student conceptions for engineering education. Journal of Engineering Education, 100(2), 304-328.
Chambers, D. W. (1983). Stereotypic images of the scientist: The Draw‐a‐Scientist Test. Science Education, 67(2), 255-265.
Çokluk, Ö., Şekercioğlu, G., & Büyüköztürk, Ş. (2016). Multivariate statistics for the social sciences: SPSS and LISREL applications (4th Ed.). Ankara: Pegem Academy.
Çorlu, M. S., Capraro, R. M., & Capraro, M. M. (2014). Introducing STEM education: Implications for educating our teachers in the age of innovation. Education and Science, 39(171), 74-85.
Cunningham, C. M., Lachapelle, C., & Lindgren-Streicher, A. (2005). Assessing elementary school students’ conceptions of engineering and technology. American Society of Engineering Education, Portland, OR.
Daugherty, M. K. (2013). The Prospect of an “A” in STEM Education. Journal of STEM Education, 14 (2), 10-15.
Ergün, A., Emre, H., Özel, M. (2016). Determination of secondary school students’ Perceptions towards engineering and technology. 12th national science and mathematics education congress, Adana, Turkey.
Erkuş, A. (2012). Evaluation and questionnaire development in psychology. Ankara: Pegem A Publishing.
Fabrigar, L. R., Wegener, D. T., MacCallum, R. C. & Strahan, E. J. (1999). Evaluating the use of exploratory factor analysis in psychological research. Psychological Methods, 4(3), 272-299.
Finson, K. D. (2002). Drawing a scientist: What we do and do not know after fifty years of drawings. School Science and Mathematics, 102(7), 335-345.
Gibbons, S. J., Hirsch, L. S., Kimmel, H., Rockland, R., & Bloom, J. (2004). Middle school students' Perceptions to and knowledge about engineering. International conference on engineering education, Gainesville, FL.
Hirsch, L. S., Gibbons, S. J., Kimmel, H., Rockland, R. & Bloom, J. (2003). High school students Perceptions to and knowledge about engineering. Proceedings of the 33 st ASEE/IEEE Frontiers in Education Conference , Boulder, CO.
Kass, R. A., and Tinsley, H. A. (1979). Factor analysis. Journal of Leisure Research. 11, 120-138
Kılıç, İ., & Ural, A. (2005). Scientific Research Process and Data Analysis with SPSS. Ankara: Detay Publisling.
Kline, P. (1994). An easy guide to factor analysis. London: Routledge.
Kline, R. B. (2005). Principles and practice of structural equation modeling (2nd Ed.). New York: Guilford.
Knight M. & Cunningham C. (2004). Draw an engineer test (DAET): development of a tool to investigate students’ ideas about engineers and engineering. ASEE Annual Conference Proceedings, Salt Lake City, UT, 4079–4089.
Kuenzi, J. J. (2008). Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education: Background, federal policy, and legislative action [Report for Congress]. Retrieved March 20, 2017, from http:// www.fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/RL33434.pdf
Lachapelle, C. P., & Cunningham, C. M. (2007). Engineering is Elementary: Children’s changing understandings of science and engineering. Presented at the Annual Conference of the American Society for Engineering Education, Honolulu, HI
Long, M., Boiarsky, G., & Thayer, G. (2001). Gender and racial counter-stereotypes in science education television: A content analysis. Public Understanding of Science, 10(3), 255-269.
Lyons, J., Fralick, B., & Kearn, J. (2009). A Survey of Middle Schoolers' Perceptions towards Engineers and Scientists. Annual Conference of the American Society for Engineering Education, Honolulu, HI
Mead, M., & Metraux, R. (1957). Image of the Scientist among High-School Students. Science, 126, 384-390.
Ministry of National Education [MoNe] (2016). STEM training report. Ministry of National Education General Directorate of Innovation and Education Technologies. Ankara.
Ministry of National Education [MoNe] (2017). Draft Curriculum for Science Courses. Ankara.
Montfort, D. B., Brown, S., & Whritenour, V. (2013). Secondary Students' Conceptual Understanding of Engineering as a Field. Journal of Pre-College Engineering Education Research (J-PEER), 3(2), 2.
National Research Council (NRC). (2010). Exploring the intersection of science education and 2lst century skills: A workshop summary. Washington, DC: National Academies Press.
Oware, E., Capobianco, B., & Diefes-Dux, H. A. (2007). Young children’s perceptions of engineers before and after a summer engineering outreach course. Paper presented at the 37th ASEE/IEEE Frontiers in Education Conference, Milwaukee, WI
Oware, E. A. (2008). Examining elementary students' perceptions of engineers. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, Purdue University, USA.
P21 (2015). Framework for 21st Century Learning. Partnership for 21st Century Skills (P21). Retrieved March 20, 2017, from http://www.P21.org
Schibeci, R. A., & Sorensen, I. (1983). Elementary school children's perceptions of scientists. School Science and Mathematics, 83(1), 14-20.
Schnabel, K. U., Alfeld, C., Eccles, J. S., Köller, O., & Baumert, J. (2002). Parental influence on students' educational choices in the United States and Germany: Different ramifications—Same effect?. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 60(2), 178-198.
Seçer, İ. (2015). Practical data analysis with Spss and lisrel software (2nd Ed). Ankara: Anı Publishing.
Spencer, M. E. (2011). Engineering perspectives of grade 7 students in Canada. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, Queen’s University, Canada.
Steinke, J., & Long, M. (1996). A lab of her own? Portrayals of female characters on children's educational science programs. Science Communication, 18(2), 91-115.
Steinke, J. (2005). Cultural representations of gender and science: Portrayals of female scientists and engineers in popular films. Science Communication, 27(1), 27-63.
Wyss, V. L., Heulskamp, D., & Siebert, C. J. (2012). Increasing middle school student interest in STEM careers with videos of scientists. International Journal of Environmental and Science Education, 7(4), 501-522.
Yıldırım, A. ve Şimşek, H. (2006). Qualitative research methods in social studies. Ankara: Seçkin Publishing.

Keywords

Secondary school students, attitudes towards engineers and scientists, questionnaire adaptation

Affiliations

Ayşegül Ergün

Manisa Celal Bayar University, Faculty of Education, Turkey

Muhammed Doğukan Balçın

Ministry of National Education, Turkey

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

How to Cite

Ergün, A., & Balçın, M. D. (2017). Turkish adaptation of questionnaire on attitudes towards engineers and scientists. International Electronic Journal of Elementary Education, 10(1), 103–113. Retrieved from https://www.iejee.com/index.php/IEJEE/article/view/303