ERIC Number: EJ809244
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2008
Pages: 6
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0270-4676
EISSN: N/A
Issues in Survey Assessments of STS Courses
Mack, Pamela E.; Campbell, Todd; Hashidah Abd-Hamid, Nor
Bulletin of Science, Technology & Society, v28 n5 p408-413 2008
This study presents the circuitous route taken in an attempt to identify an assessment mechanism for evaluating the impact of STS courses. After initially developing a survey that faculty felt only allowed for the measurement of student opinions about the impact of required STS general education courses, the faculty at Clemson University identified Aikenhead and Ryan's Views on Science-Technology-Society (VOSTS) as an instrument that, when used with the scoring guide created in this project, might be able to assess the sophistication of students views about science and technology in society. The results from administering the pre- and post-VOSTS surveys in one STS course revealed no significant differences when comparing the sophistication of students' views about STS before and after the course. These findings demonstrate that, among other considerations discussed in the manuscript, it will be difficult to find a way of assessing STS courses that can be used for the diverse courses meeting the requirement. (Contains 2 tables.)
Descriptors: Student Attitudes, Science and Society, Psychometrics, Course Evaluation, Participant Satisfaction, Program Validation, Pretests Posttests, Objective Tests, Research Methodology, Research Problems, Evaluation Research, Student Surveys
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A