Students’ Attitudes toward Science, Technology, and Society, Evaluated through a Multiple-Response Model

Abstract

This article is a study of the application of the Questionnaire of Opinions on Science, Technology and Society (COCTS) with a new methodology based on a multiple-response model, to achieve a more valid and meaningful assessment of attitudes regarding issues of science, technology & society (STS), in a sample of high school students. It presents the application of this methodology and its ability to evaluate more precisely, both qualitatively and quantitatively, the STS attitudes of students whose overall level is mediocre, since they are outstanding for their lesser adaptation, and their beliefs about science epistemology. It also shows the lack of equivalence between isolated statements used to assess attitudes and their methodological implications for research on attitudes. Finally, it suggests some implications of the results for teaching STS themes in the school.

Keywords

• CTS
• evaluación de actitudes CTS
• cuestionario de opiniones CTS
• Modelo de Respuesta Múltiple
• actitudes de los estudiantes hacia la ciencia y tecnología.