Abstract
This study has two objectives: 1) to analyze the level of scientific literacy and attitudes toward science posed by high school students, making comparisons by gender and socioeconomic status (SES); and 2) to evaluate the relationship between scientific literacy and attitudes toward science. Two instruments were used: a test of scientific literacy based on the taxonomy by Bybee (1997) and the Test of Science Related Attitudes (TOSRA) (Fraser, 1981). Both instruments were administered to 674 students of scientific-humanistic schools in Chile’s Metropolitan Region from different SES. Descriptive and inferential analyses such as t Test, Chi-square, ANOVA and Pearson correlation analyses were conducted. The results show a predominance of a functional level of scientific literacy and attitudes toward science are moderately favorable. The comparative analysis expresses levels of scientific literacy and attitudes towards science that are more positive while the SES is higher. In contrast, no differences due to gender for either of the two areas measured were observed. Correlation analysis shows a positive relationship between scientific literacy and attitudes to science, although of moderate magnitude.
Published Version
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