STUDY OF GENDER DIFFERENCES IN FACTORS

INFLUENCING THE ATTITUDE OF NINTH CLASS

STUDENTS TOWARDS BIOLOGY

RESEARCHER

MISRAH MAQBOOL

UNIVERSITY ENROLLMENT NO: EDU/GCE/12926/2011

UNIVERSITY ROLL NO: 53021

FOR THE FULFILLMENT OF M.ED.

SUPERVISED BY: PROF. SAJID HUSSAIN

SESSION 2011-2012

GOVT. COLLEGE OF EDUCATION

FEDERAL B. AREA, KARACHI

CERTIFICATE

It is certified that MS MISRAH MAQBOOL has completed this thesis entitled “Study of

Gender Differences in Factors Influencing the attitude of Ninth Class Students towards

Biology”, under my direct supervision and guidance. Necessary correction regarding the

errors in documentation as required by the College faculty have been made as suggested. I

also certify that this thesis is the outcome of her personal efforts and that work is original and

according to the research standards.

Approved by

PROF. SAJJID HUSSAIN

GOVT. COLLEGE OF EDUCATION

FEDERAL B. AREA, KARACHI

DECLARATION

I MISRAH MAQBOOL, ROLL NO: 53021 declare that this Research study, “Study of

Gender Differences in Factors Influencing the attitude of Ninth Class Students towards

Biology”, is the result of my own effort except where otherwise I have quoted or indicated

and acknowledged as complete reference and that this work has not been submitted before for

any higher degree to any other University or Degree awarding Institute.

Name : MISRAH MAQBOOL

Class : M. Ed. Sec “A”

College Seat No. : 28

Enrollment No. : EDU/GCE/12926/2011

University Roll No. : 53021

DEDICATION

This research study is dedicated to my parents, brother, sister and my sweet son who always

supported my academic accomplishments and giving me unconditional love and

encouragement to pursue my interests. May Allah give them health and long life! (Aameen)

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

At the first glance, I am bound to acknowledge that with the help of Allah I would be able to

complete my research study. In conducting my research thesis, I have been benefitted from

the advice of a dedicated team of my college teaching faculty, who has, individually or

collectively offered comments and criticisms on nearly every page of the text.

I would like to extend special thanks to my research advisor Sir Sajid Hussain for his tireless

efforts and exceptional long time directions for management of this thesis and his dedication

to its completion. His insistence on careful explanations and correct pedagogy throughout the

thesis has in a multitude of instances kept me on the proper track.

The management and staff of Private Secondary Schools of Gulistan -e -Jauhar Block 14,

have provided constant humble support for allowing me to conduct research thesis and

collecting research data from their students, for which I am exceptionally grateful. I am also

indebted to those students who participated in this research study in sharing their preferences

regarding Biology. Without the higher degree of endurance of these individuals this research

thesis would not have been possible.

Despite the best efforts, it is inevitable that errors may appears in the text and I welcome

communication from the readers with corrections and comments on the content or pedagogy,

which can be sent to zoolo74@hotmail.com.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION ................................................................ 1

ABSTRACT ........................................................................................................................... 2

BACKGROUND OF STUDY ............................................................................................... 5

SIGNIFICANCE OF STUDY ................................................................................................ 7

OBJECTIVES OF STUDY ................................................................................................... 9

HYPOTHESIS OF STUDY ................................................................................................... 9

LIMITATIONS OF STUDY ............................................................................................... 11

JUSTIFICATION OF STUDY ........................................................................................... 12

OUTLINE OF THE STUDY .............................................................................................. 13

KEY TERMS OF STUDY .................................................................................................. 14

CHAPTER 2 LITERATURE REVIEW .............................................. ...15

DEFINITION OF ATTITUDE ............................................................................................ 16

DEFINITION OF SCIENTIFIC ATTITUDE ...................................................................... 17

THEORIES OF ATTITUDE ................................................................................................ 18

THEORIES OF ATTITUDE FORMATION ....................................................................... 18

THEORIES OF ATTITUDE CHANGE .............................................................................. 20

PSYCHOLOGICAL FACTORS INVOLVED IN ATTITUDE FORMATION AND

ATTITUDE CHANGE ........................................................................................................ 24

FACTORS INFLUENCING THE ATTITUDE OF NINTH CLASS

STUDENTS TOWARDS BIOLOGY .................................................................................. 25

DEFINITION OF MOTIVATION ....................................................................................... 32

THEORIES OF MOTIVATION IN EDUCATION ............................................................ 33

ARCS MODEL OF MOTIVATIONAL DESIGN ............................................................... 35

THE MEASUREMENT OF ATTITUDE TOWARDS STUDYING BIOLOGY ............... 36

FACTORS INFLUENCE STUDENTS’ ATTITUDES TOWARDS

STUDYING BIOLOGY ...................................................................................................... 38

INTERNATIONAL COMPARATIVE STUDIES BY TIMSS & PISA ON

ATTUTUDE TOWARDS BIOLOGY ................................................................................. 42

CHAPTER 3 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY ..................................... 43

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY ......................................................................................... 44

TYPES OF RESEARCH METHODOLOGY ...................................................................... 44

DIFFERENCES BETWEEN QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE

RESEARCH ......................................................................................................................... 46

POPULATION, SAMPLING & INSTRUMENT ............................................................... 47

CHAPTER 4 DATA ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION .............. 48

STATSTICAL TOOLS ........................................................................................................ 49

RELIABILITY OF INSTRUMENT .................................................................................... 51

CALCULATION OF MEAN & STANDARD DEVIATION ............................................. 53

COMBINED ANALYSIS .................................................................................................... 56

OVERALL ANALYSIS OF RESEARCH HYPOTHESIS USING T-TEST ................... 135

CHAPTER 5 CONCLUSION & RECOMMENDATIONS ................ 148

CONCLUSION .................................................................................................................. 149

RECOMMENDATIONS ................................................................................................... 150

SUMMARY ....................................................................................................................... 152

REFERENCES ................................................................................................ 154

FROM WEBSITES ............................................................................................................ 154

FROM BOOKS .................................................................................................................. 155

FROM RESEARCH PAPERS ........................................................................................... 155

APPENDIX ...................................................................................................... 157

BIOLOGY ATTITUDE QUESTIONAIRE ....................................................................... 158

COLLEGE CONCENT LETTER ...................................................................................... 159

1

CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTON

2

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this study is to study the gender differences in factors influencing the attitude

of Ninth class students towards Biology. A sample of 150 students (75 boys and 75 girls) of

class ninth studying Biology have been selected and their responses to Biology Attitude

Questionnaire consisting of 25 items related to six dimensions i.e. Biology Lab, interest

towards Biology, Motivation towards Biology, Biology Teacher, Family attitude towards

Biology and Peers‟ attitude towards Biology are analysed. The results of the study revealed

that there is a significant difference in attitude between ninth class boys and girls towards

their Biology teacher i.e. boys shows more positive attitude than girls while there is no

significant differences in attitude between ninth class boys and girls related their Biology

Lab, interest and Motivation towards Biology and their Family and Peers‟ attitude towards

Biology. It means that Biology Teacher is one of the significant factor influencing the attitude

of ninth class Biology students therefore well- experienced Biology teacher inculcates

positive attitude in students towards Biology.

INTRODUCTION

Osborne, Simon and Collins (2003), stated that “the investigation of students‟ attitudes

towards studying Science has been a substantive feature of the work of Science education

research community for the past 30-40 years.” The importance of this investigation is stressed

by a persistent decline in post-compulsory high school science enrolment over the last two

decades. Concern has been voiced in many countries, including the UK by Smithers and

Robinson(1988), Australia by Dekkers and Delaetter (2001), Canada by Bordt,

DeBroucker, Read, Harris and Zhang(2001), India by Garg and Gupta( 2003), Japan by

Goto( 2001) and the USA by National Science Foundation( 2002) and every country in the

European Union by Commission of European Communities(2001). Students‟ increasing

reluctance to choose Science courses in their final years of secondary education has serious

adverse implications for the health of scientific endeavor, but also for the scientific literacy of

future generations. Thus, the endorsement of positive attitudes to Science, Scientists and

learning Science, which has always been a constituent of Science education become a subject

of concern. Shulman and Tamir (1973) argued that the affective outcomes of Science

instruction are at least as important as their cognitive counterparts. Similarly, many Science

educators attribute great importance to the affective domain reported by Baker and Doran

(1975), Schibeci (1984), Gardner (1985, 1998), Sjoberg (2002) and Oh and Yager (2004).

3

Moreover, Munby (1981) Ramsden( 1998), Osborne et al (2003)and Reid( 2006) reported

that student attitudes toward science have been investigated since the mid-1960s, when

educators started seeing a decrease in enrollment in science courses and decreased interest in

science & technology related disciplines among youth. Baldwin et al. (1999), Coll et

at.(2002); Quinnell et al, (2005); Adams et at. (2006) and Barbera et al( 2008) reported that

the association between attitudes and learning recently has become more clear by use of new

instruments and methods measuring the impact of courses on students‟ attitudes .

Initially most of the research studies focused on attitude towards Science in general. Simpson

and Oliver (1985) reported that the boys show more positive attitude towards science than

girls. Similarly, Hurd (1982) reported that “Children shape early their attitudes towards

science. Many children who enter to the period of adolescence have the lowest exposures to

Science after third grade; half of the students feel that they do not like to choose science.

Only 21% of the eight grades have a positive attitude to Science while Simpson and Troost

(1982) reported that seven grades students show the first formal orientation towards science.

The preliminary experience and orientation towards science affects attitude and commitment

of students to science and their future potential science based activities.

Afterwards, subject preference research studies were conducted. Keeves and Kotte (1992)

showed that unlike Chemistry or Physics girls showed more positive attitude towards Biology

than boys. Stark and Gray (1999) illustrated in their study of Scottish students i.e. boys

preferences for science topics shifted from biologically oriented to Physics as the age of

students increases while girls preferences for biological topics were less affected by age and

relative high. This means that research in Biology would also explore different patterns in

attitude related with gender and/or age than other Science courses. George and Kaplan (1998)

and Haladyna and Shanghnessy (1982) reported that basic factors such as effects of teacher,

parents or environment would affect students‟ attitude towards Biology.

Similarly, several studies have identified a number of factors affecting students‟ attitudes to

Science in general. These can be largely categorized as gender, personality, structural

variables and curriculum variables. Gardner (1975) stated that gender is probably the most

important variable related to pupils‟ attitude to Science. Similarly, Talton and Simpson

(1985) identified other variables are also associated with school influences such as class

climate, teachers and administrative styles.

4

Piburn (1993) and Woolnough (1994) have incorporated a range of components associated to

attitudes towards science including: the perception of the science teacher; anxiety toward

science, the value of science, self-esteem at science, motivation towards science; enjoyment

of science, attitudes of peers and friends towards science, attitudes of parents towards

science, the nature of the classroom environment, achievement in science and fear of failure

on course. Osborne et al, (2003) reported that science curriculum as the factor influencing the

attitudes of students while Prokop, P., Tuuncer, G and Chuda (2007) reported the factors

influencing the attitude of Slovakian students towards Biology such as: the Biology lessons,

the importance and difficulty of Biology lesson, Biology teacher, use of biology equipments

in Biology lessons and Biology as a future career.

Thus, in the present study researcher will examine gender differences in factors influencing

the attitude of class ninth students‟ towards Biology. These factors or dimensions are

categorized as: Biology laboratory, interest towards Biology, motivation towards Biology,

Biology Teacher, family and peers attitude towards Biology.

5

BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

According to Osborne et al. (2003), “student‟s attitudes towards science have been

investigated since the mid-1960s, when educators started seeing a decrease in enrollment in

science courses and decreased interest in science and technology related disciplines among

youth.” Lyons‟ (2006) summary indicates that “enrollment rates in the natural sciences have

been steadily declining in developed and developing countries of the world. So, it is the need

of the day to get a broader picture of the reasons that hinder learners from entering this field

and developing less positive attitude overtime.” Barberaet al. (2008) reported that “the

association between attitudes and learning recently has become clearer by the use of new

instruments and methods which measure the impact of courses on students‟ attitudes.

Gardner (1975) defined scientific attitude as, “a complex mixture of the longing to know and

understand, a questioning approach to all statements, a search for data and their meaning, a

demand for verification, a respect for logic, a consideration of premises and a consideration

of consequences whereas scientific attitude towards natural science i.e. Biology elaborated by

Gardner as “the feelings, beliefs, and values held about an object that may be the enterprise of

science, i.e. natural science.

Oliver and Simpson (1988); Piburn (1993) and Woolnough (1994) have incorporated a range

of components associated to attitudes towards science including: the perception of the science

teacher, anxiety toward science, the value of science, self-esteem at science, motivation

towards science, enjoyment of science, attitudes of peers and friends towards science,

attitudes of parents towards science, the nature of the classroom environment, achievement in

science and fear of failure on course.

Similarly, Prokop, P., Tuncer, G. and Chuda, J. (2007) reported the factors affecting the

students‟ attitudes towards Biology in terms of age and gender in their study on “Slovakian

Students Attitudes towards Biology” such as: Interest towards biology lessons, Importance of

Biology as a future career, Importance of Biology Lessons, Attitude towards Biology teacher,

Attitude towards difficulty of Biology lessons and Attitude towards the use of Biology

equipment in Bio Lab.

The result of the dimension related to interest in Biology revealed that the Girls and younger

students displayed greater interest towards Biology lessons compared to boys and elders.

Therefore, responds for this dimension can be evaluated as that, Slovak students are

6

interested in Biology lessons and the interest decreases as they get older. Similarly, the results

of dimension related to Biology teacher reveals that individual character of a teacher is one of

the important variables to be considered during students‟ attitudes.

In the light of above background of the study I chose the topic “Studying Gender differences

in Factors influencing the Attitude of Ninth Class Students towards Biology”. To analyze the

gender differences in factors associated to attitude towards biology, I have made Biology

Attitude Questionnaire (B.A.Q) based on six dimensions or factors related to attitude towards

Biology. These dimensions are marked as: - Biology Laboratory, Interest in Biology,

Motivation towards Biology, Biology Teacher, Attitude of Family and Peers towards

Biology.

7

SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

The study of gender differences in factors influencing the attitudes of class ninth students

towards learning Biology has got a great significance in educational Research. Gardner

(1975), Breakwell and Beardsell (1992), Piburn (1993) and Woolnough (1994) have

incorporated a range of components in their measures of attitudes to science including : the

perception of the attitudes to science teacher, motivation towards science, attitudes of peers

and friends towards science, attitudes of parents towards science, nature of classroom

environment and value of science. Similarly, a number of studies are conducted on this topic

in order to evaluate the attitude of students towards their subject of interest in terms of

gender, age and grade.

The study of factors affecting Junior High School students‟ interest in Biology is conducted

by Ricardo Trumper (2006). He analyzed the factors affecting the students‟ interest in

Biology. He identified significant differences in students‟ interest in Biology, their attitudes

to science & technology and their opinions about science classes and their out of school

experiences in Biology. Similarly, the study of Slovakian students‟ attitudes towards Biology

is conducted by Prokop, P., Tuuncer, G and Chuda, J. They studied students‟ attitude Biology

through six dimensions; interest, career, importance, teacher, equipment and difficulty. This

study analyzed the gender differences in factors affecting attitude of students from grade 5 to

grade 9 towards studying Biology. Those factors related to attitude towards biology in which

gender differences are analyzed in this research study are as follows: -

Biology Laboratory, Interest in Biology, Motivation towards Biology, Biology Teacher,

Attitude of Family and Peers towards Biology.

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ATTITUDE TOWARDS BIOLOGY LABORATORY

The nature of Laboratory is another significant determinant affecting the attitude of students.

For example, the well-equipped laboratory initiates a positive attitude in students and make

them motivated while performing experiments.

INTEREST TOWARDS BIOLOGY COURSE

The other significant variable affecting the students‟ attitude is interest towards Biology. This

variable is considered as the important determinant influencing the attitude because effective

curriculum i.e. text book engenders a more positive attitude in both boys and girls similarly,

students internal motivation in making drawing of living organisms and Biology teacher

encouragement leads to more positive attitude in both boys and girls towards learning

Biology.

MOTIVATION TOWARDS LEARNING BIOLOGY

The Motivation also serves as an important variable affecting the attitude of students towards

any subject. Those students who are self-motivated towards their subject of interest also

exhibit a positive attitude and utilize their efforts in a meaningful direction.

ATTITUDE OF BIOLOGY TEACHER

Biology teacher is one of the significant determinants in determining the attitude of students

towards Biology. This factor is responsible for building the positive or negative attitude in

students, for example, if a teacher is motivated and well experienced then he may engender a

positive attitude in students and ultimately specific learning objective would be achieved

Similarly, the use of affecting teaching technique and methodology by the well trained

teacher results in a positive attitude in students towards the subject.

ATTITUDE OF FAMILY AND PEER

The attitude of family and peer are also important determinant affecting the attitude of ninth

class students studying Biology. The positive attitude of family towards the subject engenders

positive feelings in their children ultimately a positive perception will be developed whereas

the positive attitude of peers also influences their attitude and ultimately they would take a

keen interest in that particular subject.

9

OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY

Conceptual framework provided a base for development of objectives of the study. The main

objective of this study is to determine the gender differences in factors influencing the

attitude of ninth class biology students. Following are the objectives of this research study:

o To determine the difference in attitude between ninth class boys and girls towards

their Biology lab.

o To find out the difference in attitude between ninth class boys and girls towards their

interest in Biology.

o To measure the difference in attitude between ninth class boys and girls related to

their motivation towards Biology.

o To find out the difference in attitude between ninth class boys and girls towards their

Biology teacher.

o To find out the difference in attitude between ninth class boys and girls related to their

family attitude towards Biology.

o To measure the difference in attitude between ninth class boys and girls related to

their peers‟ attitude towards Biology.

HYPOTHESIS OF THE STUDY

Keeping in view of the research objectives and the thorough review of research literature on

gender differences in factors influencing the attitude of class ninth boys and girls towards

studying Biology: the following hypothesis are developed:

1) N.D: There is a significant difference in attitude between ninth class boys and girls

towards their biology lab.

H1: Ninth class girls have more positive attitude towards their biology lab as compare to

Ninth class boys.

H2: Ninth class boys have more positive attitude towards their biology lab as compare to

Ninth class girls.

10

Ho: There is not a significant difference in attitude between ninth class boys and girls towards

their biology lab.

2) N.D: There is a significant difference in attitude between ninth class boys and girls

towards their interest in biology.

H1: Ninth class girls have more positive attitude as compare to Ninth class boys related to

their interest in biology.

H2: Ninth class boys have more positive attitude as compare to Ninth class girls related to

their interest in biology.

Ho: There is not a significant difference in attitude between ninth class boys and girls towards

their interest in biology.

3) N.D: There is a significant difference in attitude between ninth class boys and girls

related to their motivation towards biology.

H1: Ninth class girls have more positive attitude as compare to ninth class boys related to

their motivation towards biology.

H2: Ninth class boys have more positive attitude as compare to ninth class girls related to

their motivation towards biology.

Ho: There is not a significant difference in attitude between ninth class boys and girls related

to their motivation towards biology.

4) N.D: There is a significant difference in attitude between ninth class boys and girls

towards their biology teacher.

H1: Ninth class girls have more positive attitude towards their biology teacher as compare to

Ninth class boys.

H2: Ninth class boys have more positive attitude towards their biology teacher as compare to

Ninth class girls.

Ho: There is not a significant difference in attitude between ninth class boys and girls towards

their biology teacher.

11

5) N.D: There is a significant difference in attitude between ninth class boys and girls

related to their family attitude towards biology.

H1: Ninth class girls have more positive attitude as compare to ninth class boys related to

their family attitude towards biology.

H2: Ninth class boys have more positive attitude as compare to ninth class girls related to

their family attitude towards biology.

Ho: There is not a significant difference in attitude between ninth class boys and girls related

to their family attitude towards biology.

6) N.D: There is a significant difference in attitude between ninth class boys and girls

related to their Peers‟ attitude towards biology.

H1: Ninth class girls have more positive attitude as compare to ninth class boys related to

their peers‟ attitude towards biology.

H2: Ninth class boys have more positive attitude as compare to ninth class girls related to

their peers‟ attitude towards biology.

Ho: There is not a significant difference in attitude between ninth class boys and girls related

to their Peers‟ attitude towards biology.

LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY

Limitation is the aspect of the study which affect the result or generalizability of result.

Following are the limitations of this research study:

The generalization of the findings of this research study may be applicable only on

target population i.e. private secondary schools of Gulistan-e-Jauhar Block 14 from

which sample is drawn.

This research study is comprised of only private secondary schools of Gulistan-e-

Jauhar Block 14.

Only Questionnaire i.e. Biology Attitude Questionnaire (B.A.Q) is used as a data

collection tool.

12

The present study do not use other tools for example, direct observation and

interviews.

Objectivity of responses to the research study have been affected by personal biases

of students.

JUSTIFICATION OF THE STUDY

Every research study has its justification. It is one of the essential components in research

study therefore the researcher has to give the justification in terms of importance regarding a

particular research topic related to his interest.

Following are the justification of this research study:

Biology laboratory is one of the important determinant in influencing the attitude of ninth

class Biology students. Well-equipped and attractive Biology lab serves as an effective factor

in establishing positive attitude in students towards Biology subject.

Interest towards Biology subject is another effective factor influencing the attitude of ninth

class Biology students. Effective curriculum, intrinsic motivation and encouragement by

teacher and family develop interest in pupil towards that particular subject i.e. Biology.

Motivation serves as one of the important determinant or factor which initiates positive

attitude in ninth class Biology students. Especially intrinsic motivation and achievement

motivation help pupil in achieving their goal of life.

Biology teacher is another significant variable or factor which is responsible for initiating the

positive or negative attitude in pupil. Especially effective teaching methodology and use of

effective teaching aids fulfill student need thus inculcate positive attitude in them.

Family attitude towards learning Biology is termed to be as another important factor or

variable responsible for building positive or negative attitude in their children learning

Biology. Family positive attitude towards Biology leads to positive attitude in their children

ultimately they work hard thus achieving their goal of life.

Peer‟s attitude towards learning Biology is another important factor serves as determinant in

creating positive or negative attitude in their friends who learn Biology. Peer‟s attitude counts

13

a lot especially at adolescence stage i.e. they are motivated by their class friends having

interest in Biology.

OUTLINE OF THE STUDY

By analyzing the research studies related to science attitude it becomes evident that Gender is

one the significant determinant influencing the attitude of students. Gardner (1975) stated that

gender is probably the most important variable related to pupils‟ attitude to Science while

Keeves and Kotte (1992) showed that unlike Chemistry or Physics girls showed more

positive attitude towards Biology than boys. Afterwards number of research studies

enumerated that attitudinal factors are responsible for influencing the attitude of students

towards the subject. Osborne et al,(2003) reported that science curriculum as the factor

influencing the attitudes of students. Prokop, P., Tuuncer, G and Chuda (2007) reported the

factors influencing the attitude of Slovakian students towards Biology such as: Biology

lessons, the importance and difficulty of Biology lesson, Biology teacher, and use of biology

equipments in Biology lessons and Biology as a future career.

Therefore ,in the light of these research studies the researcher analyzed the phenomenon of

gender differences in factors influencing the attitude of ninth class boys and girls studying

Biology thus the Biology Attitude Questionnaire consisting of six dimensions related to

factors responsible for influencing the attitude of ninth class Biology students were

constructed. The researcher pretested the instrument on nine Biology students in order to

determine the reliability of instrument after that the sample of 150 (75 boys and 75 girls) of

class ninth learning Biology were chosen from population of Glistan-e-Jauhar Block -14.

Further, the descriptive and inferential statistical techniques were applied by the researcher to

find out gender differences in factors influencing attitude of ninth class boys and girls

towards Biology.

14

KEY TERMS OF THE STUDY

Attitude

A psychological tendency that is expressed by evaluating a particular entity with some degree

of favor or disfavor.

Gender Differences

Differences in attitude between ninth class boys and girls towards learning Biology.

Factor influencing the Attitude

Determinants or dependent variables which affect the attitude of ninth class students towards

Biology. These factors serves vital role in building the attitude either positive or negative

towards their particular subject of preference.

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CHAPTER 2

LITERATURE REVIEW

16

DEFINITION OF ATTITUDE

According to Dictionary of Education (1962) attitude may be defined as:

“A state of mental and emotional readiness to react to situations, persons, or things in a

manner in harmony with a habitual pattern of response previously conditioned to or

associated with these stimuli.”(pg:346)

Frank Freeman(1962) in his book Theory and Practical of Psychological Testing defined

attitude as:

“An attitude is a dispositional readiness to respond to certain situations, persons, or objects

in a consistent manner which has been learned and has become one’s own typical mode of

response.”

Anastasi (1997) while defining attitude in her book on Psychological Testing as:

“A of stimuli” remarked that it was synonymous with opinion. The attempted tendency to

react favorably or unfavorably towards a designated class d differentiation between attitude

and opinion was, according to her, “Neither Consistent, nor logically definable.” pg.[3].

COMPONENTS OF ATTITUDE

In Social Psychology attitudes are defined as positive or negative evaluations of objects of

thought. Attitudes typically have three components:

• The cognitive component is made up of the thoughts and beliefs people hold about the

object of the attitude.

• The affective component consists of the emotional feelings stimulated by the object of the

attitude.

• The behavioral component consists of predispositions to act in certain ways toward an

attitude object. The object of an attitude can be anything people have opinions about.

Therefore, individual people, groups of people, institutions, products, social trends, consumer

products, etc. all can be attitudinal objects.

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DEFINITION OF SCIENTIFIC ATTITUDE

According to Barnes and Dolby( 1970) in The Scientific Ethos scientific attitudes can be

regarded as:

“A complex of "values and norms which is held to be binding on the man of science. The

norms are expressed in the forms of prescriptions, proscriptions, preferences and

permissions. They are legitimatized in terms of institutional values.”(pg:3)

According to R.K.Merton (1957) signifies the list of scientific attitudes in Social theory

and Social structure:

“The current set of scientific attitudes of objectivity, open-mindedness,

unbiasedness, curiosity, suspended judgment, critical mindedness, and rationality

has evolved from a systematic identification of scientific norms and values.”

He then identified four norms. These are universalism, communality, disinterestedness

and organized skepticism. He stated:

“Universalism requires that information presented to the

scientific community be assessed independently of the

character of the scientist who presents the information.

The norm of communality requires that scientific

knowledge be held in common, in other words, the

researcher is expected to share his findings with other

scientists freely and without favor. The norm of

disinterestedness requires scientists to pursue scientific

knowledge without considering their career or their

reputation. Scientists are exhorted by the norm of

organized skepticism never to take results on trust. They

are expected to be consistently critical of knowledge.”

According to Shallis and Hills (1975) asserted in Impact of Science on Society that:

“Those that are attracted to science subscribe to the

notion of objectivity, thereby perpetuating the myth. It is

of concern to the general public to realize that many of

those attracted to science will be adhering to this norm of

objectivity. In doing so, there is always the possibility

that future scientists would become more cold, objective

and almost robot-like. However, at a time when the

impact of science and technology on the society is so

critical, there is a need for the scientific community to be

more human and compassionate.”

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THEORIES OF ATTITUDE

Eagly and Chaiken (1998) defined attitude as a psychological tendency that is expressed by

evaluating a particular entity with some degree of favor or disfavor. Bodour (2000) states that

consensus about attitude lacks, however, is in the amount of prominence which psychologists

give to the affective or cognitive components and the degree to which they believe each

component contributes toward attitude formation. Some theorists contend that beliefs play a

pivotal role in the formation of attitudes while others posit that affect is directly responsible

for determining attitudes.

THEORIES OF ATTITUDE FORMATION

According to Crisp & Turner (2007) classified the theories of attitude formation in to five

categories:

Mere Exposure: The mere exposure effect postulates that people tend to develop a

liking for something if they are frequently exposed to it. Crano,( 2008) reported that

in a series of experiments by Robert Zajonc, subjects were repeatedly exposed to

unfamiliar stimuli, such as paintings, songs, or words and were subsequently asked to

rate how much they liked them. It was generally found that participants‟ perceptual

fluency increased, or in other words, they became better at perceiving the object with

subsequent encounters which was interpreted as liking for the object.

Associative Learning: Associative learning refers to classical conditioning and

operant conditioning. The Classical conditioning method of attitude formation

involves the implicit pairing of a neutral stimulus with an unconditioned stimulus -

one which is known to evoke an emotional responseThe neutral stimulus eventually

begins to evoke an emotional response of its own. According to Staats and Staats, as

cited in Crisp & Turner, (2007), this associative learning usually results in stronger

attitude formation when the individual has no previous beliefs about the attitude

object. The second example of the use of associative learning in attitude formation is

through Operant or Instrumental Conditioning where our behaviors are either

rewarded or punished. When our behaviors are followed by positive outcomes they

are strengthened and are more likely to be repeated. On the other hand, behavior

19

which is followed by ridicule or other negative reinforcements is weakened and less

likely to happen again.

Observational Learning of Attitudes: In Social or Observational Learning

attitudes are formed as a result of our everyday interaction with others. We observe

the behaviors and expressions of attitude of others and tend to learn vicariously from

the reinforcements which they receive. We are more likely to adopt behaviors that are

followed by positive consequences than behaviors that are followed by negative

consequences.

The Self-perception Theory: the self –perception theory proposed by Bem

postulates that attitudes are formed consequent to one‟s behaviour. He asserts that we

evaluate our attitudes and make internal or external attributions based on what we

believe might have caused them.

The Functional Theory of Attitude Formation: The functional theory states

that attitudes are formed in order to satisfy certain psychological needs. We believe

things not necessarily because they are true but because they are useful to us.

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THEORIES OF ATTITUDE CHANGE

Since people‟s attitudes are generally indicative of their behavior, it is important to

understand how attitudes can be changed in order to also alter people‟s behavior. There are

several theories on attitude change but the most pertinent theories are: the theory of cognitive

dissonance, social judgment theory and persuasion.

COGNITIVE DISSONANCE THEORY

Leon Festinger, Social psychologist from Stanford University developed cognitive

dissonance theory in 1957.He described Cognitive dissonance as a feeling of discomfort

caused by performing an action that is inconsistent with one's attitudes. He proposed a

"Process Model of Cognitive Dissonance" to describe the process through which a person

advances when experiencing dissonance. It includes the following: attitude/behavior

inconsistency, dissonance created, attitude change and dissonance restored.

He conducted an experiment to test his theory of dissonance. He asked college students to do

a boring and tedious task for one hour. Some were paid $1, and others were paid $20.

Afterward, the students were asked to tell a confederate that it was an enjoyable exercise. To

determine their feelings on the exercise, the students completed a questionnaire about their

experience. As Festinger predicted the students who were paid $1 rated the exercise as more

enjoyable than the students who were paid $20. They did this because they had the internal

need to conjure a better reason for doing a menial task for virtually no reward. The students

who received $1 had a greater attitude change than the students who received $20 because

they had a greater amount of cognitive dissonance. The latter group did not need a change of

attitude because the amount of money they received was sufficient justification for their

actions.

According to Franzo (2000) reported in Social psychology cognitive dissonance as:

"...When people engage in a counter attitudinal behavior without receiving a large reward, they

should experience cognitive dissonance"(p. 172).

Griffin (2003) defines cognitive dissonance in A first look at communication theory as:

"...The distressing mental state that people feel when they find themselves doing things that don't fit

with what they know, or having opinions that do not fit with other opinions they hold"(p. 209).

Cognitive dissonance is based on the concept of cognitive consistency introduced by Fritz

Heider. Cognitive consistency says that people want to keep their own cognitions (beliefs,

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attitudes, self-perceptions) organized in a consistent manner. Today, psychologists use a

dissonance thermometer to measure arousal components through physiological outlets and

psychological discomfort through self-reports. The impact that Festinger made upon the

world of social psychology can never truly be measured.

Griffin (2003) asserted in A first look at communication theory again:

"...Leon is to social psychology what Freud is to clinical psychology and Piaget to developmental

psychology". (pg219).

SOCIAL JUDGMENT THEORY

The Social Judgment theory of attitude change was proposed by Carl Hovland and Muzafer

Sherif.This theory attempts to explain how attitude change is influenced by judgmental

processes. The key idea of Social Judgment theory can be understood and explained in terms

of "attribution" and other "communication processes." "Attribution" is the process by which

people decide why certain events occurred or why a particular person acted in a certain

manner. The following factors influence the person's attribution: internal versus external

causes of own behavior and the behaviors of others, consistency consensus, a certain person's

role as an "actor" or a "receiver" in a particular situation. A study of weight perception

illustrates the theory. Participants are asked to categorize several small weights by weight

class based only on lifting each one in turn. A control group C categorized the weights

roughly evenly across six weight classes, while another group A was asked to lift a much

heavier weight before each test weight. This group categorized most weights in the lowest

weight class, with decreasing quantities in each successively higher weight class. The third

group B lifted a weight only as heavy as the highest weight class before judging each other

weight; this group categorized most weights into the highest weight class, with decreasing

quantities in successively lower classes; the opposite result of group A, and contrary to

predictions of the contrast effect. Hovland and Sherif called this effect, where things start to

seem more like their context (the heavyweight), and the assimilation effect. In terms of

anchoring and adjustment, when an anchor (the heavy weight) approaches the range of

possible judgments (the six weight classes), the categorization or judgment shifts from

contrast to assimilation. When applied to social judgments, these effects show that the most

effective position to advocate for changing another's attitude judgment is the most extreme

position within that person‟s “latitude of acceptance," within which assimilation effects will

make your position seem more like their own. Beyond this latitude lies the latitude of

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rejection, within which any position will be seen as more different from one's own due to

contrast effects.

PERSUASION THEORY

Persuasion theory developed by Carl Hovland et al, is based on the premise that people‟s

attitudes and opinions can be changed as a result of persuasive communication. According to

McGaan (2010) persuasion leads to change by creating uncertainty in the minds of those who

strongly oppose the persuader‟s view, reducing the audience‟s resistance, changing or

amplifying their attitudes, and stimulating action from those who may already agree with the

persuader.

There are six main elements of the theory:

i) Intent: Although persuasion can occur accidentally, most persuasion happens intentionally.

ii) Coercion: While compliance and behavioral change can be achieved through coercion,

changes in attitude or inner cognitions may not occur.

iii) Context: A changed behavior may be limited to a particular context.

iv) Plurality: Persuasion can influence oneself, one individual, or several people.

v) Presence: One does not have to be physically present for persuasion to be used

vi) Media: A range of media can be used to communicate.

Researchers have identified three dimensions which affect the persuasiveness of a message,

namely, the target characteristics, the source characteristics, and the message characteristics.

The target characteristics refer to the traits of the person who receives and processes

the message. One of those qualities is the degree to which the individual consciously

resists the persuasion. Some people are naturally more argumentative than others and

may resist persuasion attempts in order to protect their freedom and right to choose,

and to maintain strong beliefs that are meaningful to them (Baron, 2008). Other

factors such as intelligence, self-esteem and mood levels have also been found to

affect persuasion attempts.

The source characteristics refer to those qualities in the communicator which help to

make the message more persuasive. People are more likely to be persuaded by

someone who is credible, trustworthy, and attractive.

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The message characteristics include the manner in which the argument is framed, the

amount of emotion induced, and the overt or covert nature of the communicator‟s

intentions. Messages which do not appear to intentionally set out to change our

attitudes tend to have more success than those which we know in advance are geared

towards this goal. This explains why some vagrants in their quest to solicit money

sometimes disguise their intentions by prefacing it with innocent small talk.

One of the modern theories of persuasion which explains the cognitive processes that

we go through when faced with a persuasive message is the elaboration-likelihood

model (ELM).

The ELM is a dual-process theory of information processing which distinguishes

between two routes to persuasion:

The central route involves a deep and careful analysis of the persuasive message. The

outcome of the processing determines the direction and magnitude of the attitude

change.

The peripheral route to persuasion, also known as heuristic processing, is taken in

circumstances that encourage low elaboration.

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PSYCHOLOGICAL FACTORS INVOLVED IN ATTITUDE FORMATION

AND ATTITUDE CHANGE

o Direct Instruction:-It involves what attitudes told by parents, schools, community

organizations, religious doctrine, friends, etc.

o Operant Conditioning:-It is a simple form of learning. It is based on the “Law of

Effect” and involves voluntary responses. Behaviors (including verbal behaviors and

maybe even thoughts) tend to be repeated if they are reinforced (i.e., followed by a

positive experience). Conversely, behaviors tend to be stopped when they are

punished (i.e., followed by an unpleasant experience). Thus, if one expresses, or acts

out an attitude toward some group, and this is reinforced by one‟s peers, the attitude is

strengthened and is likely to be expressed again. The reinforcement can be as subtle

as a smile or as obvious as a raise in salary. Operant conditioning is especially

involved with the behavioral component of attitudes.

o Classical conditioning:-It is another simple form of learning. It involves involuntary

responses and is acquired through the pairing of two stimuli. Two events that

repeatedly occur close together in time become fused and before long the person

responds in the same way to both events. Classical conditioning is especially involved

with the emotional, or affective, component of attitudes.

o Social (Observational) Learning is based on modeling. We observe others. If they are

getting reinforced for certain behaviors or the expression of certain attitudes, this

serves as vicarious reinforcement and makes it more likely that we, too, will behave in

this manner or express this attitude.

o Cognitive Dissonance:-It exists when related cognitions, feelings or behaviors are

inconsistent or contradictory. Cognitive dissonance creates an unpleasant state of

tension that motivates people to reduce their dissonance by changing their cognitions,

feeling, or behaviors.

o Unconscious Motivation:-Some attitudes are held because they serve some

unconscious function for an individual.

o Rational Analysis:-It involves the careful weighing of evidence for, and against, a

particular attitude.

.

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FACTORS INFLUENCING THE ATTITUDE OF NINTH CLASS

STUDENTS TOWARDS BIOLOGY

The objective of science curriculum is to foster favorable feeling towards science and as well

as imparting cognitive knowledge. Research studies implies that there are number of

variables (factors) which are related to the attitude towards science especially classroom

environment, teacher‟s personality and the behavior of the teacher. Similarly, pupil attitude

towards Biology is influenced by number of factors (variables) such as: Biology laboratory,

interest towards Biology, motivation towards biology course, Biology teacher, attitude of

family and peers towards learning Biology. Therefore, these factors are responsible for

building the positive or negative attitude in an individual towards that particular object of

their interest.

Following are the factors which influence the attitude of ninth class students towards learning

Biology.

1:- BIOLOGY LABORATORY

The most effective vehicle by which the process of inquiry can be learned appears to be a

laboratory where the student experiences, firsthand, the inquiry process therefore the role of

the laboratory becomes a key component in understanding Biology. Laboratory activities

provide students with opportunities to question, observe, sample, experience, and experiment

with scientific phenomena in their quest for knowledge of living things. In a laboratory

students work individually or in small groups on a question, problem or hypothesis. They use

the processes and materials of science to construct their own explanation of biological

phenomena. They observe, collect data and interpret data of life processes, living organisms,

and/or simulations of living phenomena. The distinction between laboratory and traditional

classroom learning is that activities are student-centered, with students actively engaged in

hands-on, minds-on activities using laboratory or field materials and techniques.

Laboratory has also been demonstrated to be effective means for comprehension,

understanding and application of biological knowledge. Lab experiences provide

opportunities for teachers to model best practices in the study of biology, including

application of scientific methodologies, respect for life and the environment, inclusion of

learners of all abilities, and consistent adherence to safety standards. Thus, study in a

laboratory is an integral and essential part of a biology course.

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2:- INTEREST TOWARDS BIOLOGY SUBJECT

Interest is a kind of concentrate consciousness on part of the field of mental vision

accompanying and stimulating attention. It means that it is associated with the phenomenon

of attention. Attention serves as a selective which concentrates consciously on part of the

field of mental vision. As the person acquainted with series of experiences which ultimately

deposit in the memory in the form of ideas afterwards these ideas will develop a kind of

appetite in person‟s mind which may be termed as interest of that person.

Interest is consciousness enterprise thus teacher can activate pleasant feeling in pupil by

performing their effective role in creating interest toward any subject. As the student

advances his increasing group of cognitions ultimately welcomes the entrance of new ideas

thus create a feeling of satisfaction i.e. interest therefore the enlargement of knowledge

manifest immediate interest in him. The teacher responsibility is to manifest an interest in

student while teaching a particular topic .This objective would be achieved if the teacher

possesses the sound knowledge of subject .Similarly, the teacher should use modern

pedagogy to satisfy the student‟s need.

According to Michael Maher (2011) reported in catholic encyclopedia,

“The teacher must be continually adapting his

instruction to the present condition of the pupil's mind.

He must constantly keep in view what ideas the student

has already acquired. He has to stir up the related set of

ideas by judicious questions or repetitions, and excite the

appetite of curiosity, when about to communicate further

information; he has to show the connection and bind the

new item with the previous knowledge by comparison,

illustration, and explanation. Finally, he is to be alive to

every opportunity to generalize, and to show how the new

information may be applied by setting suitable exercises

or problems to be worked out by the pupil himself. He

thus leads the pupil to realize his increase of power,

which is one of the most effective means of fostering

active interest both in the subject itself and in the relation

of its various parts with the whole.”

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3:- MOTIVATION TOWARDS BIOLOGY

Motivation is the psychological feature that arouses an organism to action toward a desired

goal and elicits, controls, and sustains certain goal directed behaviors. Thus a goal directed

behavior occurs when an individual exhibits a positive attitude .For example if a person is

intrinsically motivated then he will utilize his potentials in achieving the target i.e. he will

strive towards his goal.

Research shows that Students who are intrinsically motivated are interested in mastering a

topic rather than focusing on rote-learning to achieve good grades. Therefore, motivation

plays important role in building a healthy attitude towards an object of preference. For

example, a student having positive attitude towards his object of preference i.e. biology

course then he will automatically work hard to achieve mastery. Thus at this stage teacher

serves a crucial role because if he motivates his student effectively positive attitude will be

developed.

A number of theories related to motivation have been evolved laying an emphasis on this

phenomenon such as: Goal-setting theory, Incentive theory, Drive-reduction theory, Self-

determination theory and achievement motivation theory.

o Goal-setting theory emphasize that degree of motivation is determined through

proximity, degree of difficulty and specificity. For example: if a challenging task is

assigned by a teacher according to his students‟ potentials then they will work hard in

achieving that task.

o Incentive theory of motivation highlights the importance of incentives such as reward

which are responsible in producing a behavior in an individual. For example: a

teacher positively reinforces his or her students in a meaningful direction with the

help of positive reinforcement strategy thus he will be able to achieve his objectives

i.e. specific instructional objectives.

o While the Drive –reduction theory based on an idea that drives serve as stimulus

which causes an individual to impel an action therefore if these drives are strengthen

or accompanied with reinforces (rewards) then an individual will become internally

motivated thus utilizing his capabilities while exhibiting a favorable behavior.

o SDT presupposes that all people have a built-in tendency toward growth and

development...that they strive to master challenges and to integrate their experiences

into a coherent sense of self.

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According to Self-Determination Theory there are three concepts that affect motivation:

Autonomy - Separateness, Competence Feedback - Approval and Acknowledgment and

Relatedness - Connectedness.These above elements enumerated by Self-Determination

Theory occupy great significance in an individual. For example: student will work

automously when a teacher appreciates his efforts i.e. give effective feedback which provides

a sense of confidence in them.

4:- ATTITUDE OF BIOLOGY TEACHER AND HIS TEACHING

STRATEGY

Teacher attitude is one of the significant variables influencing the attitude of students because

teacher serves as a role model in education. His encouraging and motivating attitude

influence the behavior of students which ultimately yields a positive attitude towards the

subject. A small-scale qualitative study by Hendley et al. (1995) of Key Stage 3 pupils‟

preferred subjects also found that one of the most common reasons given for liking or

disliking the subject were teacher-related comments.

Pedagogy or teaching style of biology teacher is said to be another variable affecting the

attitude of students. Cooper and McIntyre (1996) stated that

clear goals for pupil learning;

clarity of communication of lesson goals and agenda to pupils;

use of preview and review of lesson content;

helping students to contextualize content in terms of their own

experience and knowledge, as well as in terms of other teaching

goals and learning experiences;

some willingness to allow pupils to have input into goal and

agenda setting;

a supportive social context designed by the teacher to help

pupils feel accepted, cared for and valued;

an ability and willingness to allow for different cognitive styles and

ways of engaging with the learning process among pupils, through

multiple exemplification, and the use of different types of

illustration and mode of presentation, and offering pupils a

choice from a menu of possible ways of

engaging; and

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A willingness to take into account pupil circumstances and to

modify/pace/ structure learning tasks accordingly.

Teachers use of educational aids such as charts, models, specimen, projectors, microscope,

slides and film strips serves as a motivating tool for leaners similarly, integrating of biology

topic to daily life also helps in motivating the learner towards the topic.

Field trips arrange by teacher also motivate the learners thus building interest towards the

topic related to particular subject. In these types of activities students show their enthusiasm

which yields in durable learning. Thus these activities provide learners with firsthand

experience over a wide range of Biological phenomena.

Laboratory teaching technique is used to motivate students. In this technique students observe

various types of specimen which helps them in understanding the features of these specimens.

Therefore through these observations the learner will get a better understanding. Now a days

teacher preferred ecological approach rather than morphological and anatomical approach in

teaching Biology.

Dr. J.C.Vandersteen (1964) discussed the importance of ecological approach from both

educational and biological point of view.

“An ecological approach has certain advantages from

both educational and biological points of view. This

kind of approach will make it possible to give an

integrated view of nature and contribute to the pupil's

physical, intellectual and social development. It also

provides a more natural motivation for teaching the

basic elements of taxonomy, anatomy, physiology, the

molecular nature of life, genetics, and the great socio-

biological problems which face mankind. These subjects

may otherwise tend to be too formalized and traditional

in approach. The ecological method offers undoubted

advantages, by putting students directly in contact with

the biosphere under all its aspects.”

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5:- FAMILY MODEL

Family model is considered as another significant factor in influencing the attitude of

children. Especially at the time of adolescence their attitude towards the particular subject is

affected by their family attitude that is why family serves as an important determinant in

defining the attitude of children towards their topic of interest. Mostly children are influenced

or idealized their parents in choosing the profession. Parents who motivate their children in

choosing a profession of their own interest leads to high degree of achievement as compare to

those parents who do not motivate their children in choosing a profession of their own. It

means that parents play a significant role in building an attitude in children.

A.Abedi and A.Soltani (2011) found the positive correlation between Family Model and

Biology Achievement which was 0.036 (p<0.05) in their research study on “a Validity study

of Attitudes towards Science Scale among Iranian Secondary School student.

6:- PEER MODEL

Adolescence marks the peak of peer influence. The demands and opinions of friends can

overwhelm the needs of family and, at times, can overwhelm the individuals themselves.

With entrance into education, the influence of the family plateaus, if not decreases, as the

importance of peers increases. The relative influence of peers or peer groups typically

increases with the age and development of the student. A younger student may be able to find

the motivation and desire to learn apart from classmates and friends, looking instead to values

from home and teacher. Older students are more apt to seek out those who have similar

interests and values. The interactions among peers in the classroom are a normal and essential

part of the learning process that influences the lifelong learning habits of students. The

potential effects of peer relationships are reciprocal:

Some students are more receptive than others. On one extreme, for example, is the student

who values and seeks peer input on every decision; on the other is the social isolate who

avoids interaction in and out of the classroom.

Most approaches tend to agree, however, that students who surround themselves with peers

and influences who value learning and the educational process will also value their own

learning and strive to enhance their education. For example, a student with deprived

relationship concerns will be less able to participate in classroom learning opportunities. The

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ability to learn is built on a foundation of comfortable relationships with others, including

peers and family, and classroom learning is all about learning with and in the presence of

others.

Behaviorism provides one way to explain the association between motivation to learn and

peer interactions. In basic behaviorist theories, relationships between people affect learning

only as much as people reinforce each other (or not) in the academic arena. For example, if

the peer group encourages education and learning, then the individual student within that

group will value learning, because the individual is reinforced, or rewarded, for behavior that

indicates that learning is valued. Students in peer groups that do not value education lack the

stimulation and reinforcement needed to encourage personal learning. Similarly, Albert

Bandura's social learning theory speaks precisely to the human interactions involved in

learning. Observational, or "vicarious" learning is based upon learning by watching then

"modeling" or acting similarly to others. If the student views and works with people who

appreciate learning by engaging in learning activities, then the student too will engage in

learning and might work harder at learning. Peers with positive attitudes and behaviors

toward education will allow and teach each other to set goals that include opportunities to

learn and achieve. If peer models do not convey positive attitudes toward learning, then the

students observing these models will not prioritize learning in their own lives. They will learn

to prioritize other goals. Therefore, the values and attitudes of the peer group are essential

elements in motivation and learning. Students who surround themselves with academically

focused, goal-oriented peers will be more likely to appreciate, internalize, and exhibit these

features themselves.

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DEFINITION OF MOTIVATION

Motivation is the psychological feature that arouses an organism to action toward a desired

goal and elicits, controls, and sustains certain goal directed behaviors.

Motivation is affected greatly by the locus of control. The idea that a person feels their own

decisions and actions determine their destiny indicates an internal locus. If the individual is

operating using an external locus, they believe outside forces are responsible for the events

that occur in their lives and feel they have little control situations. Those with an internal

locus will often use intrinsic motivation, which is person centered and comes from within an

individual, whereas those with an external locus may need extrinsic rewards or consequences

as an effective motivational tool.

Motivation can be divided into two types: internal, or intrinsic motivation, and external, or

extrinsic motivation.

INTRINSIC MOTIVATION

According to humanistic theories set forth by Carl Rogers, motivation might come from

within an individual without any thought to the external reward. Students receive their own

internal reward through an increase in self-esteem and sense of achievement when they reach

their desired goal. They may just feel the desire to succeed based on factors such as their own

interest in an activity or the feeling of satisfaction that is achieved when they complete the

necessary steps to achieve the desired accomplishment. This drive is called internal or

intrinsic motivation, which means there are no outside forces that dictate whether an

individual will ultimately achieve his goal. He does not attempt to achieve to receive an

external reward works toward the intrinsic value associated with the success of the project.

Students will be motivated to perform desired behaviors, and neither punishment nor rewards

are necessary to motivate the individual to succeed.

EXTRINSIC MOTIVATION

Students who need reinforcement to succeed are operating under the behaviorist theories set

forth by B.F. Skinner, who suggests a punishment and reward system as a motivational tool.

The external motivation that is required to drive the individual's positive behavior is offered

in the form of a system that reinforces the desired behavior or negates undesirable actions.

Students might receive a physical reward in terms of a pat on the back or a sticker on a

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completed paper. They might also receive negative consequences such as detention or a call

home to parents. Through the administration of negative consequences for unwanted

behaviors and positive reinforcement for the desired actions, students who respond to

extrinsic motivation are more likely to succeed in their endeavors.

THEORIES OF MOTIVATION IN EDUCATION

GOAL THEORY OF MOTIVATION

Goal Theory is built upon the assumption that people have drives to meet certain end states.

They are motivated to do certain things as a means to achieve that end.

Goal theory suggests three main elements determine the degree of motivation generated...

Proximity - How much time is between initiation of the behavior and the achievement

of the end state? In kids and teenagers this is especially important because they do not

yet have a good concept of time - this is why playing video games beats out learning

algebra... they get the reward sooner.

Degree of Difficulty - The "doing" of the behavior needs to be challenging yet

achievable. Many kids do not do well in school if they are not challenged enough.

Likewise they don't do well if the challenge seems insurmountable.

Specificity - The end-state needs to be clearly defined and understandable. People

need to be able to get a sense for what it looks like, sounds like, and feels like to have

reached the end state.

INCENTIVE THEORY OF MOTIVATION

The incentive theory suggests that people are motivated to do things because of external

rewards. For example, you might be motivated to go to work each day for the monetary

reward of being paid. Behavioral learning concepts such as association and reinforcement

play an important role in this theory of motivation.

SELF-DETERMINATION THEORY

It is concerned with the motivation behind the choices that people make without any external

influence and interference. SDT focuses on the degree to which an individual‟s behavior is

self-motivated and self-determined.

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SDT identifies three innate needs that, if satisfied, allow optimal function and growth:

Competence: Seek to control the outcome and experience mastery.

Relatedness: Is the universal want to interact, be connected to, and experience caring

for others.

Autonomy: Is the universal urge to be causal agents of one's own life and act in

harmony with one's integrated self.

MCCLELLAND'S ACHIEVEMENT MOTIVATION THEORY

McClelland proposed that the presence of achievement, affiliation and influence serves as

motives or drives in an individual indicates a predisposition to behave in certain ways.

Achievement (nAch): The need for achievement is characterized by the wish to take

responsibility for finding solutions to problems, master complex tasks, set goals, and

get feedback on level of success.

Affiliation (nAff): The need for affiliation is characterized by a desire to belong, an

enjoyment of teamwork, a concern about interpersonal relationships, and a need

reduce uncertainty.

Power (nP): The need for power is characterized by a drive to control and influence

others, a need to win arguments, a need to persuade and prevail.

According to W. F. Ratzsburg:

“Achievement motivation is defined as a non-conscious

concern for achieving excellence through individual

efforts. Such individuals set challenging goals for

themselves, assume personal responsibility for goal

accomplishment, are highly persistent in the pursuit of

these goals, take calculated risks to achieve the goals,

and actively collect and use information for purposes of

feedback.”

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ARCS MODEL OF MOTIVATIONAL DESIGN

The ARCS Model was developed by John Keller, who presents a 4-step theory for generating

and retaining learning motivation. The first step is attention, which can either be grabbed by

stimulating an individual's curiosity in the form of a question or by using a surprise element

during the initial presentation of information. The second step is to establish the new material

as a relevant addition that will fill a need, expand existing skills or become of future value.

The third step is to instill the confidence in individuals that their personal successes are

reachable goals. The fourth and final step is personal satisfaction, which may be received in

any way that leaves individuals with the feeling that the learning experience was personally

beneficial or useful.

LITERATURE REVIEW

Biology is a natural science concerned with the study of life and living organisms, including

their structure, function, growth, origin, evolution, distribution, and taxonomy.

In order to discuss the significance of biology as an educational item, it is first of all

necessary to realize what biology means to society. Until the end of the 18th century biology

had almost exclusively been a descriptive science. There was no influence at all of biology

on society, or vice versa. Around 1800, experimental biology began to develop. Only in the

middle of the nineteenth century did a big change take place. The investigations, made by

von Liebig into plant food and artificial manure, by Sachs, the founder of plant physiology,

by Pasteur and Darwin appear to have had an enormous influence, especially with respect to

the application of biological discoveries for the benefit of the human society. Veterinary

science benefitted most out of these biological discoveries, especially when we think of

aseptic wound treatment, contagious diseases, microbiology, virus research, hormones,

vitamins and antibiotics, the fight against malaria. In agriculture too, applied biology has

achieved great improvements, for example, right minoring, increased yield, conquest of plant

diseases and insect plagues, hybridization and selection, growth-promoting substances} etc. It

may be said without any exaggeration that contemporary society can no longer do without

biology. The image of life which modern biology conjures up is one of an admirable unity

and complexity. The science of life has a message for all and plays a significant role in our

society.

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ATTITUDE

According to Simpson and Oliver (1990), Attitude is defined as “person‟s directions in

response to emotional affairs, peoples, places, events or ideas.”

Osborne et al. 2003 defined Attitude as “A student‟s attitude toward a particular discipline

may affect his or her motivation to excel.”

According to my perception, Attitude is a measure of the subject‟s expressed preferences and

feelings towards an object.

The literature review based on Attitude towards studying Biology reveals that during mid

1960‟s, educators observed a decline towards science and its related disciplines. Smithers

and Robinson 1988 reported that the investigation of students‟ attitude towards studying

science has been a substantive feature of the work of the science education research

community for the past 30-40 years. Similarly, Jenkins (1994) and Lepkowska (1996)

reported that an increasing recognition of the importance and economic utility of scientific

knowledge and its cultural significance, the falling numbers choosing to pursue the study the

science has become the matter of societal concern. Department for Education and

Employment (1996) suggested that there will be a 12% increase in the demand for science

and engineering professionals by the year 2006 and suggested that if these projections are

fulfilled and not met it is likely that the pool on which employers can draw will (a) be

severely curtailed and (b) not necessarily of the best quality.

THE MEASUREMENT OF ATTITUDE TOWARDS STUDYING BIOLOGY

The wide range of attitude towards Biology is measured in terms of subject preference

studies, interest preference studies, gender and age preference studies.

SUBJECT PREFERENCE STUDIES

Initially these studies are carried out by Whitfield, (1980), Ormerod (1971), Duckworth

(1975), Harvard (1996) and Osborne and Collines (2000). The findings of Whifield‟s analysis

on attitude towards secondary schools subjects reveled that physics and chemistry were two

of the least popular subjects in post-14 pupils lie at the distance of fifth form whereas Biology

were distances at third form. These same findings were confirmed by Harvard and Osborne

and Collines. Similarly, Spall, Barrett, Stanisstreet, Dickson and Boyes (2003 &2004)

37

reported in study of undergraduates‟ views about Biology and Physics that Attitude

associated with Biological Sciences are more positive than physical sciences.

INTEREST PREFERENCE STUDIES

Dawson C. (2000) conducted a study on upper primary boys and girls interest in science. He

compared the preferences of boys and girls in Biology and Earth Sciences. He observed that

the girls‟ preferences in Biology lead in human biology and general biology but boys lead

were greatly interested in earth sciences. Baram-Tsabari and Yarden, A (2005) revealed in a

study of characterizing children spontaneous interest in Science and Technology that,

children interest in human biology increases with age relative to the interest in zoology which

showed opposite. R. Trumper (2006) reported in study of factors affecting junior high school

students ineptest in biology that overall interest in learning biology was relatively positive but

not high and girls showed greater interest in it than boys. Student‟s interest in learning

biology correlated closely with their negative opinions of science classes. Trumper

categorized those factors affecting student‟s interests as; students‟ interest in Biology, their

attitude to Science and Technology, their opinions about Science classes and their out of

school experiences in biology.

GENDER AND AGE PREFERENCE STUDIES

These studies are mainly reported by Keeves and Kotte, D (1992), Weinburgh, M (1995),

Francis, L. J and Greer, J. E (1999), Stark, R & Gray, D (1999) and Jones, M. G, Howe, A &

Rua, M. J (2000). , Howe, A & Rua, M. J (2000) showed that unlike Chemistry or Physics,

girls show more positive attitude towards Biology than boys in their study of gender

differences in students‟ experiences, interests and attitude towards science and scientists. In

contrast, age related studies were also conducted by Stark, R & Gray, D (1999) and Spallet et

al. (2004) and Baram-Tsabari and Yarden, A (2005). Stark, R & Gray, D (1999) in a large

sample of Scottish students found that boys preferences for science topics shifted from

biologically oriented to Physics as the age of students increases while girls preferences for

biological topics were less affected by age and relatively high. It means that research in

Biology would explore different patterns in attitude related with gender and/or age than other

science courses.

38

FACTORS INFLUENCE STUDENTS‟ ATTITUDES TOWARDS

STUDYING BIOLOGY

Schbeci‟s (1984) extensive review of literature and meta-analysis of range of research studies

by Becker (1989) and Weinburgh (1995) covering the literature between 1970 and 1991

identified a number of factors influence attitudes towards science in general while Prokop, P.,

Tuncer,G. and Chuda,J. (2007) and Ahmad R. Nasr and Asghar Soltani, (2011) also studied

factors which influence attitudes towards studying Biology.

Following are the factors responsible for influencing the attitude towards Biology are as

follows:

1- GENDER

Gardner comments, “Gender is probably the most significant variable related towards pupils‟

attitude towards science.”

Weinburgh (1995) summarized that boys have a consistently more positive attitude to school

science than girls. Although this effect is stronger in Physics than in Biology. Similarly,

Breakwell and Beardsell (1992) investigated that “girls‟ attitude to science are significantly

less positive than boys.

Johnson (1987) and Khale & Lakes (1983) reported that “due to consequence of cultural

socialization that offers girls considerably less opportunity to tinker with technological

devices.”

Research study conducted by Prokop, P., Tuncer,G. and Chuda,J. on “Slovakian students‟

attitude toward Biology” examine the Slovakian students‟ attitude towards Biology with

respect to gender and age. Prokop (2007) constructed Biology Attitude Questionnaire (BAQ)

which is based on 30 items to determine the students‟ attitudes towards Biology. The

Questionnaire was divided into six dimensions as:-

o Students‟ interests towards Biology lessons.

o Students‟ attitude on the importance of Biology for their future career.

o Students‟ attitude on the importance of Biology lesson

o Students‟ attitude toward Biology teacher

o Students‟ attitude towards difficulty of Biology lesson.

39

o Students‟ attitude towards the use of Biology equipment in Biology lesson.

Ahmad R. Nasr and A.Soltani, (2011) conducted a study on Attitude towards Biology and its

effects on Students‟ Achievements. They examined the relation between attitudes.

2- TEACHER

Teacher is one of the most significant determinants of Attitude towards studying Biology. A

small-scale qualitative study by Hendley et al. (1995) of Key Stage 3 pupils‟ preferred

subjects

also found that one of the most common reasons given for liking or disliking the

subject were teacher-related comments. Havard‟s (1996) work suggests that the problem lies

with physics, as over 50% of his sample indicated that they did not enjoy the subject at all, or

very little, whereas over 60% enjoyed biology a lot or quite a lot. One factor may be that

physics is often taught by teachers who lack specialist knowledge and who have little

enthusiasm for the subject. In such situations, teachers who lack confidence and familiarity

fall back on didactic modes of teaching and the quality of teaching and learning is

impoverished. For instance, in England, surveys indicate that there is within the science

teaching community a considerable imbalance in the subject specialisms of „science teachers‟

that is weighted heavily towards a specialism in Biology Dillon, Osborne, Fairbrother, and

Kurina (2000). Moreover, such candidates are normally significantly better qualified and of a

higher calibre. The consequence is that biology, wherever it is taught, is more likely to be

taught by a specialist with enthusiasm and interest and, as Osborne and Simon, (1996) and

other workers Shulman (1986); Turner-Bisset (1999) have shown teacher subject knowledge

is a determinant of effective teaching. As Tobin and Fraser (1988), in their study of American

teachers point out:

“Because teachers did not have the content knowledge,

errors of fact were made and opportunities to elaborate

on student understandings and to diagnose

misunderstandings were missed. In some instances, flaws

were evident in attempts to explain concepts with which

students were having difficulty and, in other cases,

analogies were selected which compounded student

problems in understanding concepts. The net result of

teachers’ lack of content knowledge in high school

classes was an emphasis on learning of facts and a

sewing of seeds for the development or reinforcement of

misconceptions.”

40

Prokop (2007) showed that grade is the only factor that affects Slovak students‟ attitudes

toward teacher. This relationship seems to be non-linear while a negative attitude is observed

for the 7th

and 8th

grade students. 5th

, 6th

, and 9th

graders display positive attitude.

3- LABORATORY

Dr. J.C. Van der Steen (1964) mentioned that “An ecological approach has certain advantages

from both educational and biological points of view. This kind of approach will make it

possible to give an integrated view of nature and contribute to the pupil's physical,

intellectual and social development. It also provides a more natural motivation for teaching

the basic elements of taxonomy, anatomy, physiology, the molecular nature of life, genetics,

and the great socio-biological problems which face mankind. The ecological method offers

undoubted advantages, by putting students directly in contact with the biosphere under all its

aspects.”

4- CLASS ROOM

Haladyna et al. (1982), Myers and Fouts (1992) and Talton and Simpson (1987)

considered the influence of classroom environment as a significant determinant of

attitude.

Therefore, attitudinal research studies measured Classroom factor by using an

instrument devised by Walberg (1969) and developed by Fraser

(1986).Afterwards, Simpson –Troost Attitude questionnaire – revised (STAQ-

R)was developed by Owen et al (2008) consisting of 22 items based on 5

dimensions i.e. classroom, self-directed efforts, family models, science is fun for

me and peer models. This is instrument is further utilized by Ahmad Nasr and A.

Soltani (2011) in their research study on “a Validity study of Attitudes towards Science Scale

among Iranian Secondary School students”. The research study of Ahmad Nasr and A.

Soltani revealed that there was a positive correlation coefficient between motivating Biology

class and students‟ Biology achievement. Biology achievement was found to be 0.025

(p<0.05). It means that effectiveness of course content is related to healthy atmosphere of

class room. Thus good environment of Biology‟s class room leads to high achievement.

41

5- FAMILY MODELS

Simpson and Oliver (1990) finds evidence for a relationship between parental support and

attitudes to science. In particular, Breakwell (1992) identifies attitudes to science as being

more critically dependent on the support of the mother. However, as she points out, mothers

may be unwittingly perpetuating the inequalities in science by encouraging their sons more

than their daughters. Breakwell‟s research identifies extra-curricular activities as being

correlated with parental support, particularly that of the father. However, her findings are

somewhat of a contradiction to those of Woolnough (1994) in that she found no correlation

between attitudes toward science and involvement in extra-curricular activities, whereas

Woolnough found that involvement in these was a significant factor in choosing to study

science post-16.Similarly, Ahmad Abedi and Asghar Soltani (2011) found the positive

correlation between Family Model and Biology Achievement which was 0.036 (p<0.05) in

their research study on “a Validity study of Attitudes towards Science Scale among Iranian

Secondary School students”.

6- PEER MODELS

Talton and Simpson, 1985 consider Peers as one of the important factor which influence the

attitude. They reported that effect of Peers play important role in learning Science. According

to Owen and Moscow, 1981, Children and adolescents consider people a model that they

respect and encourage them feel close relations with typically the most important relations

such as parents, siblings, peers and elder friends. According to Fishbein and Ajzen, 1975,

found out that norms shown by such peers will help to guidance students‟ behavior and

attitude.

7- MOTIVATION

Motivation is another significant determinant of attitude towards learning Science especially

Biology. Self-motivation, self-determination, achievement motivation and self-esteem are

one of the sub factors of Motivation. Self-motivation is an important variable related to

attitude towards Biology and students‟ achievement in Biology Course reported by Ahmad R.

Nasr and Asghar Soltani, K (2011). They showed that there is a positive correlation 0.091

(p<0.05) between self-motivation and Biology Achievement.

42

8- INTEREST IN BIOLOGY COURSE

Interest is another significant variable influencing the attitude of students towards learning

Biology reported by Ricrdo Trumper (2006). He reported that the students overall interest in

learning Biology was relatively positive but not high (Mean = 2.7, S.D = 0.50). Moreover

statistically significant differences are evident in students‟ interest in Biology i.e. Girls

showed a higher interest in Biology with a Medium (D= 0.5) effect size (Cohen 1988).

INTERNATIONAL COMPARATIVE STUDIES BY TIMSS & PISA ON

ATTUTUDE TOWARDS BIOLOGY

TIMSS & PISA, 2006, are the International comparative studies which investigate the

attitude towards Science subject areas. In 1999, TIMSS reported the high percentage of

students in the high level attitude index in almost all subject areas. For example, in Serbia,

there is the highest percentage in the category of positive attitude index for Biology, the

Slovak Republic in Chemistry, and the Russian Federation in Physics. While Romanian

students showed the most positive attitude in Biology but they are less positive in Physics and

Chemistry. Similarly, there are differences in degree of liking for the different Science

discipline in the final year of secondary School. TIMSS Data illustrates an increase in

percentage of students in Biology and Chemistry with greater percentages of students in 2003

than in 1999.

43

CHAPTER 3

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

44

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

The methodology is used to give a clear cut idea on what the researcher is carrying out his or

her research. It makes the right platform to the researcher to mapping out the research work

in relevance to make solid plans.

The entire research plan is based on the concept of right methodology. More over through

methodology the external environment constitutes the research by giving a depth idea on

setting the right research objective, followed by literature point of view, based on that chosen

analysis through interviews or questionnaires findings will be obtained and finally concluded

message by this research. On the other hand from the methodology the internal environment

constitutes by understanding and identifying the right type of research, strategy, philosophy,

time horizon, approaches, followed by right procedures and techniques based on his or her

research work.

Therefore, the research methodology acts as the nerve center because the entire research is

bounded by it and to perform a good research work, the internal and external environment has

to follow the right methodology process.

The term research methodology, also referred to as research methods, usually encompasses

the procedures followed to analyze and interpret the data gathered. These often use a range

of sophisticated statistical analyses of the data to identify correlations or statistical

significance in the results.

TYPES OF RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

Research methodologies can be quantitative (for example, measuring the number of times

someone does something under certain conditions) or qualitative (for example, asking people

how they feel about a certain situation).

Ideally, comprehensive research should try to incorporate both qualitative and quantitative

methodologies but this is not always possible, usually due to time and financial constraints.

Research methodologies are generally used in academic research to test hypotheses or

theories. A good design based on valid research methodology ensure that the research is

valid, i.e. it clearly tests the hypothesis and not extraneous variables, and thus this research

is said to be reliable, i.e. it yields consistent results every time.

45

Blaxter, Hughes and Tight( 1996) defined Quantitative and Qualitative research as:

“Quantitative research is, as the term suggests,

concerned with the collection and analysis of data in

numeric form. It tends to emphasize relatively large-scale

and representative sets of data, and is often, falsely in

our view, presented or perceived as being about the

gathering of `facts'. Qualitative research, on the other

hand, is concerned with collecting and analyzing

information in as many forms, chiefly non-numeric, as

possible. It tends to focus on exploring, in as much detail

as possible, smaller numbers of instances or examples

which are seen as being interesting or illuminating, and

aims to achieve `depth' rather than `breadth'.”(pg: 61)

46

DIFFERENCES BETWEEN QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE

RESEARCH

QUANTITATIVE RESEARCH QUALITATIVE RESEARCH

Assumes something can be measured

objectively

Assumes reality is constructed by

individuals involved in the research

(subjective)

Researcher remains independent of

the study, and researchers values do

not enter into the report

Researchers interact with the subject,

admits to their values

Concepts and variables are well

defined

Language is personal, informal,

evolving, and based on definitions that

evolve during the study

Uses deductive logic

Concepts, variables, and hypotheses

are chosen before the study begins

Uses inductive logic.

Categories emerge from the informants

and lead to patterns or theories that help

to explain a phenomenon.

Researcher comfortable with

assumptions of quantitative design

and quantitative analytical

techniques

Researcher comfortable with

assumptions of qualitative design

and qualitative analytical

techniques

Problem previously studied by

other researchers so that there is a

body of knowledge, existing

theory, known variables

Problem exploratory or there is a

lack of theory. Context is

important & variables are

unknown

47

POPULATION

In this research study, the target population is based on sixteen private secondary schools of

Gulistan-e-Jauhar Block: 14 comprising of class ninth boys and girls studying biology which

is the characteristics feature of this population.

SAMPLING

The researcher applied Stratified Random Sampling technique in selecting the sample from

the target population. The reason for selecting this technique is that the population consists of

two strata i.e. ninth class boys and girls whereas this type of Sampling results an equal chance

for each member of the population of being selected thus representative sample of the

population would be achieved through it.

Therefore the sample of 150 students (75 boys &75 girls) of class ninth studying Biology has

been selected.

INSTRUMENT

Biology Attitude Questionnaire is used as an instrument for obtaining the ninth class

students‟ attitude towards Biology. This instrument is based on Likert–Scale representing

strongly agree, agree, un-decided, disagree and strongly disagree respectively. The

questionnaire is based on 25 positively stated items therefore scoring will be done from 1, 2,

3, 4 & 5 respectively. The reliability of this instrument is found to be 1.074 by applying

Kuder- Richarson Formula K21.

148

CHAPTER 5

CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS

149

CONCLUSION

Conclusion is the most important step in research study. The researcher evaluates the research

hypothesis on the basis of his findings and highlight them under this heading.

The conclusions related to the topic: Study of gender differences in factors influencing the

attitude of Ninth class Biology students’ are as follows:-

o There is not a significant difference in mean population between ninth class boys and

girls in terms of their attitude towards Biology lab which means that there is not a

significant difference in attitude between ninth class boys and girls towards their

biology lab thus null hypothesis is accepted while rejecting the research hypothesis.

o There is not a significant difference in mean population between ninth class boys and

girls in terms of their interest towards Biology which means that there is not a

significant difference in attitude between ninth class boys and girls related to their

interest towards biology thus null hypothesis is accepted while rejecting the research

hypothesis.

o There is not a significant difference in mean population between ninth class boys and

girls in terms of their motivation towards Biology which means that there is not a

significant difference in attitude between ninth class boys and girls related to their

motivation towards biology thus null hypothesis is accepted while rejecting the

research hypothesis.

o There is a significant difference in mean population between ninth class boys and

girls in terms of their Biology teacher which means that there is a significant

difference in attitude between ninth class boys and girls related to their Biology

teacher thus research hypothesis is accepted while rejecting the null hypothesis.

o There is not a significant difference in mean population between ninth class boys and

girls in terms of their family attitude towards Biology which means that there is not a

significant difference in attitude between ninth class boys and girls related to their

150

family attitude towards Biology thus null hypothesis is accepted while rejecting the

research hypothesis.

o There is not a significant difference in mean population between ninth class boys and

girls in terms of their peer’s attitude towards Biology which means that there is not a

significant difference in attitude between ninth class boys and girls related to their

peer’s attitude towards Biology thus null hypothesis is accepted while rejecting the

research hypothesis.

RECOMMENDATIONS

Teacher is a key factor in engaging, enthusing and inspiring students, thus stimulating

lifelong interest in science and its related discipline i.e. Biology .He should:

o Stimulates creativity, curiosity, critical thinking and problem-solving skill in students

so that they will be able to analyze physiological aspects of human mechanisms.

o Involving students in active learning so that develop the habit of sharing their views

regarding Biological concepts of human anatomy.

o Help students learn through interactive discussions and “hands-on” approaches so

that the learning will be durable and effective.

o Prepare students for the future workforce as the major stimulus generating the

changes in education.

o Encourage collaboration in students in solving the problems related to pollution i.e.

air and water etc.

o Use computer resources, such as educational software and the Internet thus exposes

students to a vast range of experiences and promotes interactive learning: new

advancements in the field of Biology.

o Design classroom presentations to meet students’ needs and abilities so that they feel

motivated and participate effectively.

o Arrange and supervise extracurricular activities i.e. field trips visit to zoo and

botanical gardens so that concrete thinking will be enhanced.

151

o Recognize and respond to individual and cultural differences in students and employ

different teaching methods that will result in higher student achievement.

o Use effective teaching aids such as models and well labeled charts so that students

will learn better and understand the concepts related to Biology.

o Provide feedback to students by conducting formative assessment after the

completion of the topic so that they will evaluate their progress.

152

SUMMARY

By analyzing the research studies it becomes clear that Gender is one of the important

components influencing the attitude of students towards learning science and its disciplines.

Afterwards many research studies reported that gender differences exist in Biology i.e. Girls

show more positive attitude towards learning Biology as compare to boys whereas other

research studies reported the factors which influence the attitude of students towards Biology.

Similarly, Prokop, P., Tuuncer, G and Chuda (2007) reported the factors influencing the

attitude of Slovakian students towards Biology such as : Biology lessons, the importance and

difficulty of Biology lesson, Biology teacher, use of biology equipments in Biology lessons

and Biology as a future career. In the light of this research study the researcher developed six

hypothesis based on six dimensions i.e. six factors which influence the attitude of ninth boys

and girls learning Biology. These are Biology lab, interest towards Biology, motivation

towards Biology, Biology teacher, family and peers’ attitude towards Biology.

It is summarized that Attitude is a measure of the subject’s expressed preferences and

feelings towards an object .Similarly, by analyzing the literature review based on attitude

towards Biology as one of the major discipline of science it becomes clear that the wide range

of attitude towards biology are measured in terms of subject preference studies, interest

preference studies, gender and age preference studies. Initially subject preference studies are

carried out by Whitfield, (1980), Ormerod (1971), Duckworth (1975), Harvard (1996) ,

Osborne and Collines (2000) .The study of Dickson and Boyes (2003 ,2004) on study of

undergraduates’ views about Biology and Physics revealed that Attitude associated with

Biological Sciences are more positive than physical sciences. Moreover, Dawson, C (2000),

Baram-Tsabari and Yarden, A (2005) and Ricardo Trumper (2006) conducted interest

preference studies. Afterwards, age and preference studies are mainly reported by Keeves

and Kotte, D (1992), Weinburgh, M (1995), Francis, L. J and Greer, J. E (1999), Stark, R and

Gray, D (1999), Jones, M. G, Howe, A and Rua, M. J (2000). Howe, A and Rua, M. J

(2000) showed that unlike Chemistry or Physics, girls show more positive attitude towards

Biology than boys in their study of gender differences in students’ experiences, interests and

attitude towards science and scientists. Similarly, Prokop , P., Tuncer,G. and Chuda,J. (2007)

and Ahmad R. Nasr and Asghar Soltani, (2011) studied factors which influence attitudes

towards studying Biology are: Biology lessons, the importance and difficulty of Biology

153

lesson, Biology teacher, use of biology equipments in Biology lessons and Biology as a

future career. Moreover, theories of attitude formation, attitude change and motivational

theories are briefly discussed. For example, the theories of attitude formation such as: Mere

Exposure, associative learning, observational learning, self-perception and functional theory

whereas theory of attitude changes are: theory of cognitive dissonance, social judgment

theory and persuasion theory and Motivational theories all are highlighted in second chapter.

The third chapter comprised of research methodology, its types and differences between

quantitative and qualitative research whereas population, sampling and instrument

(reliability) and statistical tools used in this study are also discussed. By through study of

these topics it becomes clear that the research methodology serves as a major outline in

conducting research. It gives or highlights the numerous steps involved in leading research on

the relevant topic .therefore enabling the researcher to test hypothesis by the use of effective

type of methodology resulting in reliable results related to his research study.

The fourth chapter comprised of data analysis and interpretation. The descriptive statistical

tools are applied in analyzing each items of the Biology Attitude Questionnaire i.e. mean and

standard deviation are calculated according to the Likert scale and thus interpretations have

been made while inferential statistical tool i.e. T-test is applied for doing the overall analysis

of six research hypothesis of research study.

It has been concluded in the fifth chapter, that there is not a significant difference in mean

population between ninth class boys and girls in terms of their attitude towards Biology lab,

interest, motivation towards Biology and their Family and Peers’ attitude towards Biology

while the results of the T –test revealed that there is a significant difference in mean

population between ninth class boys and girls in terms of their Biology teacher which means

that there is a significant difference in attitude between ninth class boys and girls related to

their Biology teacher thus research hypothesis is accepted while rejecting the null

hypothesis. Thus, Biology Teacher is one of the influencing factor inculcating a positive

attitude towards Biology in students of class ninth studying Biology.

154

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157

APPENDIX

158

Strongly

AgreeAgree Un decided Disagree

Strongly

Disagree

1 I consider our Biology Lab attractive & comfortable.

2 I always try to do my best in school.

3 I want to be a high achiever in Biology.

4 My parents expect me to do well in Biology.

5 My Biology teacher encourages me to learn Biology.

6 My Father likes Biology.

7 My best friend in this class likes Biology.

8 I really like Biology.

9 Our Biology lab contains a lot of interesting equipment.

10 I feel I have a number of good qualities.

11 My Biology teacher expects me to make good grade.

12 I like my Biolgy teacher.

13 I try hard to do well in Biology.

14 I always try hard, no matter how difficult the work.

15 I think I am capable of becoming doctor.

16 My family watches biology programs on TV.

17 My Mother likes Biology.

18 My friends like Biology.

19 My Biology teacher motivates before starting a new lesson.

20 My Biology teacher asks questions after the completion of topic.

21 My brothers and sisters like Biology.

22 We do a lot of interesting experiments in Biology Lab.

23 My Biology teacher makes drawings while explaning topic.

24 My Biology teacher delivers a lesson effectively

25 Most of my friends do well in Biology.

BIOLOGY ATTITUDE QUESTIONNAIRE (BAQ)

Name : _____________________________ Gender: ___________ School:____________________________ Class:_____________ Subject: ___________

159