Variables predicting prospective biology teachers’ acceptance perceptions regarding gene technology

Haydar Demirhan,Mirac Yilmaz

doi:10.30935/scimath/9410

Abstract

The different opinions on products and applications of gene technology (GT) draw attention to the training and education activities related to GT. The purpose of this study is to review some variables predicting the acceptance perception regarding GT, and to investigate their changes at levels. The prospective teachers’ subjective knowledge and interest levels in relation to the use of GT and their risk and acceptance perceptions have been questioned through a Likert type questionnaire. Latent class and binary logistic regression analyses were used. This study was carried out with 135 prospective biology teachers. According to our study, it is possible to state that there are variables, at 5% level of significance, predicting acceptance of interest and risk variables in terms of GT. As perception towards GT being risky decreases and interest towards GT increases, the acceptance perception regarding GT increases.

Highlights

Gene technology (GT) applications bring new and effective solutions to the problems in various areas
The purpose of this study is to examine the variables that presume their acceptance perception of GT, and to examine the changes among the levels of these variables of prospective biology teachers
By using the latent class analysis in this study, new subjective knowledge, interest, risk, and acceptance variables were formed to state views on this matter of subjective knowledge, interest, risk, and acceptence items regarding GT

Summary

Introduction

Gene technology (GT) applications bring new and effective solutions to the problems in various (health, environment, industry, etc.) areas. The increasing participation and significance of the public taking place in these arguments have directed the attention to the formation process of their opinion and attitude (acceptance/rejection, risk‐acceptance perception, ability to evaluate the benefits and dangers), to the gaining information about GT and education activities on GT (Gaskell et al, 1998: Harms and Bayrhuber, 1999; Knox, 2000; Gaskel and Bauer, 2001; Harms, 2002; Dawson and Schibeci, 2003) The youth acquiring their knowledge on method and applications of GT in education institutions and by well‐prepared curriculum and well‐educated teachers, makes it obvious that it will provide qualitative evaluations on these matters. When it is thought that the formation of qualitative learning environment is one of the most important responsibilities of the teachers and that the teachers’ attitudes may have an influence on the students’ attitudes (Harman and Akın, 2006; Šorgo and Ambrožič‐Dolinšek, 2009), the importance of the development of prospective biology teachers’ knowledge and judgement on GT can be understood

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