Attitudes of Elementary Schools Students in Najran District towards Science

Abstract

This study aims to explore the attitudes of elementary school students, in Najran district in Saudi Arabia, towards science. The modified Attitudes towards Science Inventory questionnaire was used to collect the raw data, with appropriate validity and reliability. The questionnaire of eight items measures only the construct of enjoyment in science using a 3-point Likert scale, which is appropriate for elementary students. This questionnaire was administrated to a sample of 95 students (49 males & 46 females) from two urban and two rural elementary schools. The findings indicated that while there was no significant difference in attitudes towards science between boys and girls. At the same time, grade 5 and 6 students were having more positive attitudes than grade 4 students. Additionally, the urban students showed higher level of attitudes towards science than the rural students. These findings are discussed in the context of science teaching and research.

Keywords: Elementary Students, Attitudes towards Science