Attitudes Towards Science: A Study of Gender Differences and Grade Level

<p style="text-align: justify;">It should be noted that learning outcomes are not students’ only achievement; attitude is also the main output in learning. This research explores students’ attitudes toward science learning based on gender and the grade level of schools in Aceh, Indonesia. The participants are 1,023 students from the sixth grade of primary schools and the eighth grade of secondary schools. The total sample includes 16 schools spread across the province. The data have been collected using TOSRA. By using the Likert scale, this questionnaire is useful for obtaining descriptions of the students’ attitudes and assigning scores for a certain group of participants. Based on gender, the results show females reflect more positive attitudes toward science than male students do. According to the grade level of the schools, the data reflect the equality of students’ attitudes toward science between primary and secondary schools. Nevertheless, when primary school students enter secondary school, the majority of students enjoy learning science less. This fact is meaningful feedback for science teachers. This result supports the scholars seeking ways to avoid the gender gap in learning activities. Pedagogical implications are also discussed.</p>

Interests and attitudes of G.C.E. (A/L) physical science stream students on university education in STEM: A case study in Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka has a free education system that gives access to higher education opportunities through the G.C.E. (Advanced Level) examination to a limited number of students. Students can choose their preferred university course if they have fulfilled the required minimum results for university admission. This paper discusses the general interests and attitudes of a sample of physical science stream students towards university education in STEM as a case study in Sri Lanka. The study has investigated several perspectives of the selected sample of G. C. E. (A/L) students through an online survey that includes questions regarding students' attitudes and perceptions on university education and different STEM-related undergraduate courses. The study has covered several schools of three provinces in Sri Lanka, and some of the investigated results are discussed with respect to the provinces. The results revealed career prospects, the academic quality of the undergraduate courses and the reputation of the university as the most influencing factors for undergraduate course selection in STEM disciplines, while engineering-related undergraduate courses were the most preferred ones among the students. The study results can be an asset to further studies since this topic has been rarely explored in the Sri Lankan higher education context.

Knowledge, Attitude and Perception of Federal University of Technology Akure (FUTA), Ondo State Students toward Coronavirus Pandemic

Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has become a pandemic requiring unprecedented measures adopted to control its rapid spread. The knowledge, attitudes and perception (KAP) of the public play a major role in the prevention and control of infectious diseases. In this study, FUTA students’ KAP towards COVID-19 during the rapid rise period of the outbreak was investigated. A cross-sectional survey was conducted in FUTA in October 2021 via a self-designed questionnaire comprising 25 questions assessing KAP. Assessments on students’ attitudes and perception towards COVID-19 included questions on confidence and believe in winning the war against COVID-19 such as wearing face masks and use of hands sanitizer. Among the questionnaire completed (n=402), 58.0% were men while 42.0% were female, 17.7% were from school of Agriculture, and 20.1% were in 300 level. The overall adequate knowledge on the existence of the disease was 88.6%. The majority of the respondents displayed good attitude towards the spread of COVID-19 pandemic in FUTA as 79.6% of the students were in agreement with the rules of the Nigeria Center for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC). In addition, the study showed that age factors cannot affect the perception of students to COVID-19 as the P-value (0.733) is greater than 0.05.

Indonesian high school students’ attitudes towards varieties of English: A survey study

The present study was conducted to investigate Indonesian High School students’ attitudes towards World Englishes, a construct developed based on a three-circle model proposed by Kachru. The study used an online questionnaire consisting of 22 items. The number of high school students from various regions in Indonesia participating in the study was 121. It was found that there was a moderate level of acceptance towards varieties of English. The participants believed that they should learn and be taught English varieties from inner-circle countries. However, the participants seemed to have very strong beliefs towards and pride in their local accents, to have high respect towards various accents around the world, and to perceive English to belong to whoever speaks it. Based on the finding on the participants’ positive attitude towards their local accents, English instruction could focus on the eventual purpose of learning a language, which is communication and building positive students’ self-perception about themselves regarding English. Hence, instead of comparing themselves with native speakers of English, students could focus on sharpening their English skills regardless of accents to be a part of the global community. The limitations and contributions of the present study are also presented, along with possible directions for relevant future studies in the field.

Measuring the use of students of the Department of Information Studies for social networks ... Section page on Facebook, model

Social networking is one of the most recently used technologies because of its advantages, spread and interaction. It is one of the most prominent applications of the second generation Web 2.0, which has effectively imposed itself on the users of the internet. Facebook network comes second after search engine at the global level, "Google". It is noted that they are highly efficient in providing information services and representation of information institutions and facilities in the virtual world. it is agreed that the progress of the societies is measured according to their ability to free and fast access to information and to use it to generate knowledge that reaches wisdom, progress and excellence. At this point, the importance of studies of information is shown in general and Webometrics in particular, which means that the set of statistical methods and measurements used to study the quantitative and qualitative aspects of information resources, structures, uses and techniques on the web, is found to be bibliometric studies designed to study and analyze reference citations, can be applied to the information resources available on the web such as the links of web pages and the use of those sites. Therefore, the study aims to monitor students' attitudes towards the use of social networking sites in general, and the Facebook page of the department of information studies of the Libyan Academy particularly. To identify the view of the students of the information management division and the management of the archive to their identify satisfaction with the information services provided by the page, and the extent of knowledge of the links of electronic sources of information, and the extent to meet their needs and scientific desires, and to what extent related to academic and research interests.

Realistic Mathematics Education's Effect on Students' Performance and Attitudes: A Case of Ellipse Topics Learning

<p style="text-align: justify;">Realistic Mathematics Education (RME) has gained popularity worldwide to teach mathematics using real-world problems. This study investigates the effectiveness of elliptic topics taught to 10th graders in a Vietnamese high school and students' attitudes toward learning. The RME model was used to guide 45 students in an experimental class, while the conventional model was applied to instruct 42 students in the control class. Data collection methods included observation, pre-test, post-test, and a student opinion survey. The experimental results confirm the test results, and the experimental class's learning outcomes were significantly higher than that of the control class's students. Besides, student participation in learning activities and attitudes toward learning were significantly higher in the RME model class than in the control class. Students will construct their mathematical knowledge based on real-life situations. The organization of teaching according to RME is not only a new method of teaching but innovation in thinking about teaching mathematics.</p>

أثر استراتيجية إتقان التعلم في تحصيل طلاب مقررات تقنيات التعليم في كلية المعلمين بجامعة أم القرى و اتجاهاتهم نحوها

The objective of this study is to know the cffect of applying the strategy of education in the subject of technological learning for students in the Teachers’ College at Umm Al-Qura University. The study was applied to a group of students to know the effect, and attitudes towards the subjects they have studied. The findings of study have shown significant differences between the groups of study for the expense of both groups which studied the educational subject in the way of their studies to the accuracy of both levels of study’s achievements and students attitudes towards the subject. This means that this strategy increased the outcomes of students, and also, increased their attitudes towards the subject. Accordingly, the above two researchers recommend the use of strategic learning for accuracy in the teaching of the difference of educational technology subjects, and other subjects for their advantage to the students’ abilities in acquiring different skills. Also, they recommend that ministry of higher education, and ministry of education should put general plans to show teachers the curriculum and to let them practice wavs to achieve easily the objectives of learning for accuracy

Attitude to Distance Learning of Schoolchildren and Students: Subjective Assessments of Advantages and Disadvantages

Currently, during the pandemic, the forced transition to distance learning carries a number of problems. These problems affect various aspects of education, including the study of students’ attitudes to distance learning. The purpose of this research is to study the features of the subjective attitude of schoolchildren and students to distance learning. This research involved 140 secondary school students (average age M = 10.7, SD = 7.2 (66.3% men)) and 30 university students (average age M = 22.5, SD = 2.4 (20% men)). The methods used were a questionnaire, Chi-square test and Criterion φ*. Fisher angular transformation. The study showed that schoolchildren do not intend to continue studying in the distance form if they choose, with a generally positive attitude towards distance learning. The self-assessment of motivation to study in a distance format has not changed, both among schoolchildren and students. Students are more likely to have a positive attitude to distance learning than schoolchildren. The variety of choices of advantages and disadvantages of distance learning is greater among students than among schoolchildren. The perspective of this study is thus to study the factors that determine the positive and negative attitudes to distance learning.

Is it possible that playing a video game might help you improve your computational thinking abilities?

In this research, we looked at the cognitive and behavioral effects of playing Penguin Go, a video game that was created to help middle school kids improve their computational thinking (CT) abilities. Apart from the general efficacy of the game, we looked at the effects of a single game feature—constraints on the amount of blocks that may be used in a solution. Students' CT abilities increased dramatically after playing Penguin Go for fewer than two hours, according to the findings, but the extra limits had no meaningful effect on learning. Furthermore, although the game as a whole had no effect on students' views toward computer science, the limitations condition of the game had a detrimental effect on students' attitudes toward computer science. The outcomes of this study, as well as suggested possibilities for future research in the area of employing these sorts of games to build computational thinking abilities, are reviewed.

Online Learning Platforms and Covenant University Students’ Academic Performance in Practical Related Courses during COVID-19 Pandemic

This study examines the effectiveness of online learning platforms (Zoom and Moodle) and their effect on the academic performance of Covenant University, Ota, Nigeria, students studying practical-related courses during COVID-19. This study specifically seeks to determine students’ attitudes towards online learning platforms, investigate the effectiveness of these platforms on practical-related courses as well as ascertain the effect of Zoom and Moodle platforms on the students’ academic performance during the Pandemic. Data were gathered through a survey of 380 CU students through the purposive sampling technique to pick students offering practical related courses. Results show that due to the effectiveness of the platforms (Zoom and Moodle) and the positive communication between lecturers and students via these platforms, students would like to see online learning continually adopted after the COVID-19 pandemic. Findings further show that students had no difficulties using these platforms. Due to the sheer adaptability of the online learning platforms used during the pandemic, the usage of Zoom and Moodle had a favorable impact on student’s academic achievement in practical-related courses. The study concludes that distance learning is a future direction in teaching practical-related courses because of the flexible nature of the platforms. Thus, universities in this part of the world should invest more in online education platforms to maintain academic continuity, especially during times of emergency.