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Students Attitude Toward Science: a Comparison of Fukuoka University of Education Japan and Jakarta State University  Indonesia
Siswoyo 
Presented at Indonesia Scientific Metting 2000, Fukuoka Japan November 25th, 2000

Abstract

The aim of research is to compare the students’ attitude between Fukuoka University of Education Students and State University of Jakarta. Instruments used in this research called Student Attitude toward Science Scale (SASS). This instrument developed by modifying the original Menis Instrument. SASS consists of 23 items concerned with the importance of science, science as a career and science as subject in the school curriculum. Numbers of students participating in this research were 207 students of Fukuoka University of Education and 257 students of State University of Jakarta. Research results found that Universitas Negeri Jakarta Students have higher attitude toward science rather than Fukuoka University of Education


1. Introduction
     Much of the national attention has focused on science, mathematics, and technology/vocational education. Japan has generally taken a "catch-up" approach to science and technology. Japanese Government policies are priorities and prospects for a Lifelong Learning Society, increasing diversification and, sophistication. In Indonesia general education prioritizes expansion of general knowledge and improvement of skills for the students. Vocational education prepares students in mastering a number of specific vocational skills needed for employment.
     Japan well known as country with high technology, advance research in many discipline such as computer, science, agricultures, marine and mine etc. Universities in Japan have been expanded cooperation with industry with respect to research and human resource development. In Indonesia, universities are also urged to expand cooperation with industry with respect to research and human resource development, but the implementation of this program faced many problems. Everyday Japanese students interacted with sophisticate device such as PC computer, Internet, automatic machine etc. While only a view Indonesia students interacted with device above. In Laboratory activities Japanese students supported with complete apparatus or equipment and other facilities. This situation are completely support Japanese students to improve their knowledge, affective and attitude to study easily about science. 
 

2. Attitude toward Science
    Attitudes are complicated mixtures of some basic psychological processes. In every action we take, our perception, emotion, motivation and thoughts interact in complex way. The simply way to think about an attitudes is to view them as our predisposition toward object - predisposition that reflected our individual preference and aversion. These predispositions affect the way we perceive these abject and think about them.
    We have attitude about an enormous array of subject. These attitude whether trivial or importance affect our personal action. Our attitudes are also implicated in enormously importance action involving whole society. Students attitude influence their politic, economy, and social behavior. Our attitude about an object may even change while the object stay the same – so attitude obviously do not have origin in the object them selves. Our attitudes are influence by many factors including emotional association. Some of our attitudes are simply based on experience. If we encounter an object repeatedly, we will develop a positive attitude toward the object. No reward, no reason, no belief, no goal need to be connected with the object. Simply repeated encounter are all that is need to produce a positive attitude is called the exposure effect. Research finding indicate that the people may form attitude simply associating object with emotion arousing circumstance. 
    Attitude can change merely through repeated exposure to an object, and they can change because of pleasant or unpleasant consequences associated with it. Two major sources of changes have been extensively studied by psychologies; (1) persuasive communication and (2) resolve cognitive dissonance. 
    Attitudes consist of three components: cognitive component, affective component and motivational component: (1) Cognitive Component, this component commonly called beliefs or knowledge structure about object and events. Some beliefs are based in fact about many beliefs are false: the belief that spaces are unlimited is true, and belief that atom cannot separate into small piece is false. (2) Affective Component, although students obtained a good grade in science class, we still need more information about student’ affective component of their attitude toward science. Sometimes, in fact the affective component is primary. This is especially clean in the case of attitude formed early, such as student interest to science before they know much about science in class. (3) Motivational Component, attitude are also linked to an object’s importance to us. If student know in the future most of job will require knowledge of science, they motivated to be a science teacher or to be scientists or researcher in science laboratory. 
    Science is a systematic, objective search for understandings of the natural and human world. A body of knowledge, formed through continuous inquiry. Science is characterizes by use of an empirical approach, statement of generality (laws, principles, theories) and testing to confirm, refute, or modify knowledge about natural phenomena. 
    Attitude towards science is predisposition toward object concerned with the importance of science, science as a career and science as subject in the school curriculum, predisposition that reflected individual preference and aversion toward science.

3. Methods
Participants:
    Data were collected from two faculties of science of two universities Fukuoka University of Education (FUE) Japan and State University of Jakarta (UNJ) Indonesia. Numbers of students was participating as samples 207 students of Fukuoka University of Education and 257 students of State University of Jakarta. Data collected under authority of university teachers. Participant university student in the two universities were comparable with grade level. 

Procedures of data collection:
    First, questionnaires are available in tree languages English, Japanese, and Bahasa Indonesia. Data collections in Fukuoka University of Education Japan were using instrument in Japanese language. Data collections in State University of Jakarta (Indonesia) were use instrument in Bahasa Indonesia. 
    Second, most of data were collected in science class. Students answer the attitude scale under supervises by teacher. Sometime teacher supervises the students to answer the attitudes scales in his room. Time consumes to answer the attitude scales are about 10-15 minutes.

Instrument: 
    The instrument used in this research called Student Attitude toward Science Scale (SASS). This instrument developed by modifying the original Menis Instrument. Student Attitudes toward Science Scale (SASS) made into two languages are Japanese Language and Indonesia Language. SASS consists of 23 items concerned with the importance of science, science as a career and science as subject in the school curriculum. 

  1. Science is useful for solving the problem of everyday life
  2. Science has ruined the environment
  3. Science is very important for a country's developmentThe money spent on science is useful.
  4. Scientific inventions and discovery improve our standard of living
  5. Science will help to make the world a better place in the future
  6. Much worries in modern society are because of science 
  7. Scientific invention and discovery is bad more often than being good.
  8. Science and technology are the cause of many of the world problems
  9. Scientific inventions has increased tensions between people
  10. Working in a science Laboratory (for example, in such cases as the electric power company and the medicine manufacture company) would  be an interesting way to earn a living
  11. In the future most of jobs will require knowledge of science.
  12. The people who understand science are respected in society
  13. In my future career, I would like to use the science I learned in school
  14. It is important to know science in order to get a good job
  15. I would like to become a science teacher
  16. Science is an enjoyable school subject
  17. The science taught in school is interesting
  18. Science is difficult subject
  19. Science is difficult when it involves calculating
  20. Science is difficult when it involves handling apparatus
  21. There are too many facts to learn in science
  22. Science is relevant to everyday life


Administrating Scale:
    Each respondent is asked to rate each item on some response scale. For instance, they could rate each item on a 1-to-5 response scale where: 1 = Strongly disagree; 2 = Disagree; 3 = Undecided; 4 = Agree; 5 = Strongly agree. All of these odd-numbered scales have a middle value is often labeled Neutral or Undecided. It is also possible to use a forced-choice response scale with an even number of responses and no middle neutral or undecided choice. In this situation, the respondent is forced to decide whether they tendencies more towards agree or disagree end of the scale for each item.
    The final score for the respondent on the scale is the sum of their ratings for all of the items (this is why this is sometimes called a "summated" scale). On some scales, several items have reversed in meaning from the overall direction of the scale. These are called reversal items. It is need to reverse the response value for each of these items before summing for the total. That is, if the respondents choose option 1,score is 5; if they choose 2 the score is 4; 3 = 3; 4 = 2; and, 5 = 1.

4. Results

FUE Students’ Attitude toward Science

  1. FUE student patterns of response to attitude scale toward science are the same, although quantity is different
  2. Most of the students (92%) agree with the statement, “Science has ruined the environment”. Their mean score to this attitude subject 2,12. Students as higher level (Master course students) hold negative attitude toward this statement (mean score = 1.75). Student’s attitudes toward this statement become negative as high as their grade level. The students believe that science has ruined the environment although they believe that science is useful for solving the problem of everyday life and important for country’s development.
  3. Most of the students (75%) believe that in the future, most of job will require knowledge of science and they would like to use the science they learned in school in their future career but they do not believe that the people who understand science are respected in their society.
  4. Only first grade students hold negative attitude to the statement, I would like to become a science teacher. Most of the students of this university agree with this statement. Their attitudes are increase as high as their grade level. First grade students are the new students in university, they do not know much about education. University needs to provide students to improve their knowledge about education, teaching methodology and so on.
  5. Most of the students (83%) agree that science is difficult subject. Their attitudes are increase as high as their grade level. Master course students have the lower score of this statement and first grade students have the higher score. This fact is a little confusing, because usually new students have many problems in way how to study in new circumstance or new school. Perhaps this condition is caused of students experience to science in class. Been studying science, students have faced many difficulties of science, unexciting teacher methodology, difficult test. So after they study they have perception about science that science is difficult subject. Students at high level (master course and fourth grade) agree that science is not difficult what it involving calculating but all of students agree that science is difficult when it involving handling apparatus.
UNJ Students’ Attitude toward Science
  1. UNJ Students pattern of response to the attitude scale shown in graph above generally were the same.
  2. UNJ students’ attitude towards attitudes statement generally positive. Only statements as follow indicated negative attitude e.g. many worries in modern society are because of science (66%), science is difficult subject (76%) and science is difficult when it involves calculating and handling apparatus.
  3. Most of UNJ Students hold positive attitude to the statement I would like to become a science teacher. Their attitudes are increase as high as their grade level. It mean students interest and motivation are conducive to promote them selves as a science teacher in the future.


Comparison of FUE Students and UNJ Students Attitude Toward Science 

Comparison among Group Levels.

Table 1: First Grade Students’ Attitude toward Science
Group
n
Mean
SD
t-stat
t-value
df
P<
UNJ-1
83
86,337
13,316
6,34962 1,660
153
0,05
FUE-1
73
75,389
7,762
-
-
-
-

Table 1 presents the mean score and t stat and t value. This table indicated t stat > t values its mean UNJ Students attitudes more positive than FUE students’ attitudes. Figure 3 exhibits the contrast between FUE and UNJ first grade students’ attitude toward science
 
 

Table 2: Second Grade Students’ Attitude
Group
n
Mean
SD
t-stat
t-value
df
P<
UNJ-2
51
83,941
12,551
3,750846
1,660
122
0,05
FUE-2
73
76,452
8.095
-
-
-
-

Table 2 presents the mean score and t stat and t value. This table indicated t stat > t values its mean UNJ Students attitudes more positive than FUE students’ attitudes. Figure 4 exhibits the contrast between FUE and UNJ second grade students’ attitude toward science








Table 3: Third Grade Students’ Attitude
Group
n
Mean
SD
t-stat.
t-value
df
P<
UNJ-3
63
89,238
8,399
6,181673
1,660
89
0,05
FUE-3
28
76,893
8,962
-
-
-
-

Table 3 presents the mean score and t stat and t value. This table indicated t stat > t values its mean UNJ Students attitudes more positive than FUE students’ attitudes. Figure 5 exhibits the contrast between FUE and UNJ third grade students’ attitude toward science
 
 

Table 4: Fourth Grade Students’ Attitude
Group
n
Mean
SD
t-stat
t-value
df
P<
UNJ-4
60
88,867
9,967
4,779663
1,660
84
0,05
FUE-4
26
78,577
8,801
-
-
-
-

Table 3 presents the mean score and t stat and t value. This table indicated t stat > t values its mean UNJ Students attitudes more positive than FUE students’ attitudes. Figure 5 exhibits the contrast between FUE and UNJ fourth grade students’ attitude toward science

Statistically the difference between FUE students and UNJ students’ attitude toward science determined by t-test formula as followed below:

Table 5:FUE and UNJ Students' Attitude
Group
n
Mean
SD
t-stat
t-value
df
P<
UNJ
257
87.163
11,4706
11,66957
1,646
462
0,05
FUE
207
76.454
8,22006
       

Degrees of freedom (df) for the t test is df = (N1+N2)-2= (257+207) – 2= 462. Using a probability table for the t statistic (available in most statistics books), the researcher determines that a value of t =1.646 is sufficient to demonstrate statistical significance at the 0.05 level. Therefore, for this problem, t (462) = 11.6957, p < 0.05 is statistically significant. The researcher concludes that student’s attitude between FUE students and UNJ students are difference significantly. 

Figure 7 presents common responses pattern of FUE and UNJ Students attitude toward Science. UNJ students attitude mean score generally more high than FUE students attitudes. FUE and UNJ students agree that science is difficult subject.
 

5. Conclusion
This study demonstrated that UNJ students’ attitude towards science is more positive than FUE students.
 
 
 
 

Reference
Aron. A., & Aron E. (1999). Statistic for Psychology, 2nd ed. Prentice Hall, Inc. New Jersey, 643p.

Banu, D.P, (1986). Secondary school students’ attitudes towards science, Research in Science and Technological Education, 4, pp. 195-202.
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Cheek, D. W. (1992). Thinking constructively about science, technology, and society education, State University of New York Press, New York,

Francis L.J & Greer J.E., (1999), Attitude toward science among secondary school pupils in Northern Ireland: relationship with sex, age, and religion, Research in Science and Technological Education. 17,pp. 67-74.

Japanese Government Policies in Education, Science, Sports and Culture (1997): Sports and Scientific Research: Opening the Door to the Future. http://www.monbu.go.jp/hakusyo/1997eng /index.html

Jenkins, E.W., (2000). What Can Physics Teachers Learn from Research in Physics Education? Physics Education, 35, pp.445-250.

Koballa, T.R. (1988). Attitude and related concepts in science education, Science Education, 72,pp.115-126.

Monbusho, (1994). Education in Japan: A graphic Presentation 1994, Ministry of Education, Science, Sport and Culture of Japan (Monbusho)

Menis, J., (1989). Attitude toward school, chemistry students and science among upper secondary chemistry students in the United States, Research in Science and Technological Education, 7, pp. 183-190

Ziman, J. (1988). An Introduction to Science Studies The Philosophical and Social Aspect of Science and Technology, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 203p.
 

 


 

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