The Scientific Attitude

The Scientific Attitude

Author: Lee McIntyre

Publisher: MIT Press

Published: 2019-05-07

Total Pages: 291

ISBN-13: 0262039834

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

An argument that what makes science distinctive is its emphasis on evidence and scientists' willingness to change theories on the basis of new evidence. Attacks on science have become commonplace. Claims that climate change isn't settled science, that evolution is “only a theory,” and that scientists are conspiring to keep the truth about vaccines from the public are staples of some politicians' rhetorical repertoire. Defenders of science often point to its discoveries (penicillin! relativity!) without explaining exactly why scientific claims are superior. In this book, Lee McIntyre argues that what distinguishes science from its rivals is what he calls “the scientific attitude”—caring about evidence and being willing to change theories on the basis of new evidence. The history of science is littered with theories that were scientific but turned out to be wrong; the scientific attitude reveals why even a failed theory can help us to understand what is special about science. McIntyre offers examples that illustrate both scientific success (a reduction in childbed fever in the nineteenth century) and failure (the flawed “discovery” of cold fusion in the twentieth century). He describes the transformation of medicine from a practice based largely on hunches into a science based on evidence; considers scientific fraud; examines the positions of ideology-driven denialists, pseudoscientists, and “skeptics” who reject scientific findings; and argues that social science, no less than natural science, should embrace the scientific attitude. McIntyre argues that the scientific attitude—the grounding of science in evidence—offers a uniquely powerful tool in the defense of science.


Attitude Research in Science Education

Attitude Research in Science Education

Author: Dr. Issa M. Saleh

Publisher: IAP

Published: 2011-02-01

Total Pages: 303

ISBN-13: 1617353264

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

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 Scientific Attitude

The Scientific Attitude

Author: C. H. Waddington

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2017-07-28

Total Pages: 239

ISBN-13: 1317351940

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

First published in 1941 (this edition in 1968), this book explores the relationship between science, culture, and society- focusing on human beings, and human communities. Here, C. H. Waddington uses the concept of science to mean more than factual information about genes and haemoglobin and his subject is the effect of scientific ways of speaking on the ways in which people look at the world around them. The work discusses biological assumptions made by various communities, particularly fascist movements, on human beings and compares them with the scientific attitude. The Nazis for instance spoke about ‘racial purity’ and ‘German blood’ but these expressions, whilst arousing emotion, had, and have, no rational meaning- they are inaccurate and tell us nothing of human genetics. As well as presenting a scientific argument, being published initially in 1941, this book also acts as a historical document, conveying some of the feeling of living through WWII. It highlights the fact that science and scientific assumptions have very wide implications for the whole conduct of life.


Handbook of Developmental Research Methods

Handbook of Developmental Research Methods

Author: Brett Laursen

Publisher: Guilford Press

Published: 2012-02-01

Total Pages: 801

ISBN-13: 1609189515

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Appropriate for use in developmental research methods or analysis of change courses, this is the first methods handbook specifically designed to meet the needs of those studying development. Leading developmental methodologists present cutting-edge analytic tools and describe how and when to use them, in accessible, nontechnical language. They also provide valuable guidance for strengthening developmental research with designs that anticipate potential sources of bias. Throughout the chapters, research examples demonstrate the procedures in action and give readers a better understanding of how to match research questions to developmental methods. The companion website (www.guilford.com/laursen-materials) supplies data and program syntax files for many of the chapter examples.


Professional Development for Primary Teachers in Science and Technology

Professional Development for Primary Teachers in Science and Technology

Author: Marc J. de Vries

Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media

Published: 2012-01-01

Total Pages: 297

ISBN-13: 9460917135

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

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

The Science of Attitudes

Author: Joel Cooper

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2015-09-16

Total Pages: 393

ISBN-13: 1317509617

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

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.


Attitude Towards Science

Attitude Towards Science

Author: Gadde B. Lakshmi

Publisher: Discovery Publishing House

Published: 2004

Total Pages: 136

ISBN-13: 9788171415410

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Contents: Introduction, Theoretical Perspective, Review of Related Literature, Planning and Procedure, Data Collection and Presentation, Analysis and Interpretation, Summary, Findings and Suggestion.


Effective Online Teaching

Effective Online Teaching

Author: Tina Stavredes

Publisher: John Wiley & Sons

Published: 2011-06-09

Total Pages: 288

ISBN-13: 1118038800

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Effective Online Teaching is an essential resource that offers a clear understanding of how cognition and learning theory applies to online learning. This much-needed resource provides specific strategies for incorporating this knowledge into effective learner-centered teaching that gets results. The book includes strategies on motivation, tailored instruction, interaction, collaboration, monitoring and communication, time and information management, student concerns, and legal and ethical issues. Designed as a text for online instructors, the chapters can be used for self-directed learning or in a formal training setting in concert with the companion Training Manual and CD. "Tina Stavredes has done something sorely needed in the online teaching world she has successfully combined solid theory and research with the practical application of instructor training. Both the book and the training manual are a 'must' for any online education organization. Bravo!" Dr. Darcy W. Hardy, assistant vice provost for Technology Education Initiatives, University of Texas at San Antonio, and chair emerita, United States Distance Learning Association "Drawing from years of experience and solidly grounded in an understanding of the adult learner and learning, Stavredes offers dozens of helpful instructor strategies, activities, and resources to support adult learners' success in an online environment. Effective Online Teaching and its accompanying training manual is a 'must-have' set for online instructors in higher education, corporate, and government settings." Sharan B. Merriam, professor emeritus of adult education, University of Georgia, and coauthor, Learning in Adulthood "An eminently practical book that provides clear and unpretentious explanations of the learning theories that are essential knowledge for every online teacher, together with equally uncluttered and easy-to-follow guidance about how to apply this knowledge to achieve excellent teaching." Michael Grahame Moore, Distinguished Professor of Education, The Pennsylvania State University, and editor, The American Journal of Distance Education


PISA 2015 Results

PISA 2015 Results

Author:

Publisher:

Published: 2017-06-15

Total Pages: 268

ISBN-13: 9789264270237

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Each volume developed under the direction of Andreas Schleicher, Yuri Belfali and others.


Science Literacy

Science Literacy

Author: National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine

Publisher: National Academies Press

Published: 2016-11-14

Total Pages: 167

ISBN-13: 0309447569

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Science is a way of knowing about the world. At once a process, a product, and an institution, science enables people to both engage in the construction of new knowledge as well as use information to achieve desired ends. Access to scienceâ€"whether using knowledge or creating itâ€"necessitates some level of familiarity with the enterprise and practice of science: we refer to this as science literacy. Science literacy is desirable not only for individuals, but also for the health and well- being of communities and society. More than just basic knowledge of science facts, contemporary definitions of science literacy have expanded to include understandings of scientific processes and practices, familiarity with how science and scientists work, a capacity to weigh and evaluate the products of science, and an ability to engage in civic decisions about the value of science. Although science literacy has traditionally been seen as the responsibility of individuals, individuals are nested within communities that are nested within societiesâ€"and, as a result, individual science literacy is limited or enhanced by the circumstances of that nesting. Science Literacy studies the role of science literacy in public support of science. This report synthesizes the available research literature on science literacy, makes recommendations on the need to improve the understanding of science and scientific research in the United States, and considers the relationship between scientific literacy and support for and use of science and research.