Identifying Demographic Variables Influencing the Nature of Science (NOS) Conceptions of Teachers

Abstract

In this survey research study, the views of practicing teachers in select aspects of NOS were investigated in connection with the effects of several variables (teaching discipline, gender, education level, teaching experience and regional work location). The instrument used to collect data was an adapted version of " Scientific Epistemological Views " questionnaire originally developed by Liu and Tsai [45]. The data collected from a total of 647 in-service teachers was analyzed conducting MANOVA statistical test. The results revealed that the variable, 'teaching discipline', had a statistically significant multivariate effect on the overall NOS conceptions of the participant teachers. Teachers' mean scores exhibited a statistically significant difference in three out of five sub-dimensions of the questionnaire. The variables, " gender " and " education level " , yielded a statistically insignificant result, which indicated the ineffectual nature of those variables on participant teachers' views of NOS concepts. The variables, " teaching experience " and " regional work location " , were found to be statistically significant in only one of the sub-dimensions of the questionnaire. At the end of the paper, these results were discussed in connection with the relevant education literature.