VALIDATION OF A SCALE OF ATTITUDES TOWARD SCIENCE ACROSS COUNTRIES USING RASCH MODEL: FINDINGS FROM TIMSS

Attitudes toward science play an important role in science education (Hong & Lin 2011; Osborne, Simon, & Collins, 2003). Several international studies (e.g., House, 2008) found that students’ attitudes toward sciences were a significant predictor of science achievement. Students’ attitudes toward science in primary school are a major determinant of their responses to attitudes toward science at high schools (Murphy, Ambusaidi, & Beggs, 2006). George (2000) found that student’ attitudes toward science decline over the years of middle and high school. Murphy, Ambusaidi, and Beggs (2006) found an evidence of decline in attitudes toward science as students get older . Osborne et al. (2003) reported that there had been a great decline in percentages of students studying science in UK. Preparing qualified scientists and engineers is required to develop a competitive workforce and enhance the economic prosperity (Osborne et al., 2003). Negative attitudes toward science may lead students to avoid science courses at high school and to move away from science for their future careers. Therefore, attitudes toward science should be monitored and assessed regularly taking into account that attitudes toward science are also an important dependent variable of curriculum evaluation. The concept of attitudes toward science is not well understood (Osborne et al., 2003). As to Cheung (2009), this construct refers to feelings, beliefs, and values held by a person about science. Osborne et al. (2003) pointed out that attitudes toward science consists of a number of interrelated sub-constructs such as perceptions of science teacher, anxiety toward science, the value of science, self-esteem related to science, motivation toward science, enjoyment of science, attitudes of peers and friends toward science, attitudes of parents toward science, and the nature of the VALIDAtIon oF A sCALe oF AttItUDes toWARD sCIenCe ACRoss CoUntRIes UsInG RAsCH MoDeL: FInDInGs FRoM tIMss