Теоретическая и экспериментальная психология (Sep 2023)
Scientific and everyday ideas in the world view of modern students of early adolescence
Abstract
Background. The modern information space containing both reliable and quasi-scientific information has a significant impact on the formation of students’ scientific worldview. Objective. To obtain an empirical support for the theoretical model of the formation of scientific worldview in the middle-adolescent students which was formulated in the framework of the cultural-historical conception. Methods. A special questionnaire was developed containing 16 pairs of statements. Each pair presented both scientific and an everyday interpretation of a natural science phenomenon. The respondents had to choose the answer considered to be correct. When processing the data, the number of answers corresponding to the modern scientific concepts was taken into account. Sample. The study involved 200 high school students and 196 junior college students aged 16–18 years, a total of 396 people (232 girls and 164 boys). Results. The study has revealed that the worldview of middle-adolescent students is predominantly characterized by an average level of scientific concepts and presents an individual combination of scientific and everyday knowledge. It has been found out that boys demonstrate a significantly higher level of scientific views than girls. College students’ outlook tends to be more scientific than that of high school students, but the differences linked to the type of educational institution do not reach statistical significance. Conclusion. The theoretical model of scientific worldview formation in the middle adolescence proposed by L.I. Bozhovich in the framework of cultural-historical approach is not confirmed. It is assumed that the key factor in the formation of an individual’s scientific worldview is not the scope of one's knowledge but its personal meaning. The data obtained expand understanding of formation of the students’ worldview and provide new insights into the content and structure of modern individual’s outlook.
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