The research into how students’ attitudes affect their learning of science related subjects has been one of the core areas of interest by science educators. The development in science education records various attempts in measuring attitudes and determining the correlations between behavior, achievements, career aspirations, gender identity and cultural inclination. Some researchers noted that attitudes can be learned and teachers can encourage students to like science subjects through persuasion. But some view that attitude is situated in context and has much to do with upbringing and environment. The critical role of attitude is well recognized in advancing science education, in particular designing curriculum and choosing powerful pedagogies and nurturing students. Since Noll’s (1935) seminal work on measuring the scientific attitudes, a steady stream of research papers describing the development and validation of scales have appeared in scholarly publications. Despite these efforts, the progress in this area has been stagnated by limited understanding of the conception of attitude, dimensionality and inability to determine the multitude of variables that made up such concept. This book makes an attempt to take stock and critically examine classical views on science attitudes and explore contemporary attempts in measuring science-related attitudes. The chapters in this book are a reflection of researchers who work tirelessly in promoting science education and highlight the current trends and future scenarios in attitude measurement.

The research into how students’ attitudes affect learning of science related subjects have been one of the core areas of interest by science educators. The development in science education records various attempts in measuring attitudes and determining the correlations between behaviour, achievements, career aspirations, gender identity and cultural inclination. Some researchers noted that attitudes can be learned and teachers can encourage students to like science subjects through persuasion. But some view that attitude is situated in context and it is much to do with upbringing and environment. The critical role of attitude is well recognized in advancing science education, in particular designing curriculum and choosing powerful pedagogies and nurturing students. Since Noll’ (1935) seminal work on measuring the scientific attitudes, a steady stream of research papers that describe development and validation of scales appear in scholarly publications. Despite these efforts the progress in this area has been stagnated by limited understanding of the conception about attitude, dimensionality and inability to determine the multitude of variables that made up such concept. This book makes an attempt to take stock and critically examine the classical views on science attitudes and explore the contemporary attempts in measuring science related attitudes. The chapters in this book are reflection of researchers who work tirelessly in promoting science education and will illuminate the current trends and future scenarios in attitude measurement.

Measurements in Evaluating Science Education is a comprehensive, intuitive guide to many of the key instruments created to assess science education environments, learning, and instruction. Nearly 70 different surveys, tests, scales, and other metrics are organized according to the qualities the measures attempt to gauge, such as attitudes toward science, beliefs and misconceptions, self-efficacy, and content knowledge. Summaries of each instrument, usage information, developmental history and validation, and reported psychometric properties make this an essential reference for anyone interested in understanding science education assessment.

This book presents the research output of the Dutch project VTB-Pro, an internationally-oriented project that aimed at providing primary school teachers with the knowledge, abilities and attitudes that are necessary to implement science and technology education in their classes. An introductory chapter by Wynne Harlen and Pierre Lena positions this project in the international context. From the Foreword by Dr. Michel Rocard: I have been pleased to discover the VTB-Pro three-years project carried in the Netherlands (Broadening technological education in primary school). Focusing on professional development of teachers and presenting first hand testimonies and research, the present book demonstrates how to deal with this issue, so critical for a renewed pedagogy. With proper methods, the knowledge of science, the interest in science and technology, the pedagogical skills can all be improved among teachers who often have no or little affection for science.

The Science of Attitudes is the first book to integrate classic and modern research in the field of attitudes at a scholarly level. Designed primarily for advanced undergraduates and graduate students, the presentation of research will also be useful for current scholars in all disciplines who are interested in how attitudes are formed and changed. The treatment of attitudes is both thorough and unique, taking a historical approach while simultaneously highlighting contemporary views and controversies. The book traces attitudes research from the inception of scientific study following World War II to the issues and methods of research that are prominent features of today’s research. Researchers in the field of attitudes will be particularly interested in classic and modern research on the organization, structure, strength and function of attitudes. Researchers in the field of persuasion will be particularly interested in work on attitude change focusing on propositional and associative learning, metacognition and dynamic theories of dissonance, balance and reactance. The book is designed to present the integration of the properties of the attitude with the dynamic considerations of attitude change. The Science of Attitudes is also the first book on attitudes to devote entire chapters to work on implicit measurements, resistance to persuasion, and social neuroscience.

This book meets a demand in the science education community for a comprehensive and introductory measurement book in science education. It describes measurement instruments reported in refereed science education research journals, and introduces the Rasch modeling approach to developing measurement instruments in common science assessment domains, i.e. conceptual understanding, affective variables, science inquiry, learning progression, and learning environments. This book can help readers develop a sound understanding of measurement theories and approaches, particularly Rasch modeling, to using and developing measurement instruments for science education research. This book is for anyone who is interested in knowing what measurement instruments are available and how to develop measurement instruments for science education research. For example, this book can be a textbook for a graduate course in science education research methods; it helps graduate students develop competence in using and developing standardized measurement instruments for science education research. Science education researchers, both beginning and experienced, may use this book as a reference for locating available and developing new measurement instruments when conducting a research study.