Scientific and everyday ideas in the world view of modern students of early adolescence

Abstract

Background. The modern information space containing both reliable and quasi-scientific information has a significant impact on the formation of students’ scientific worldview.

Objective.To obtain an empirical support for the theoretical model of the formation of scientific worldview in the middle-adolescent students which was formulated in the framework of the cultural-historical conception.

Methods. A special questionnaire was developed containing 16 pairs of statements. Each pair presented both scientific and an everyday interpretation of a natural science phenomenon. The respondents had to choose the answer considered to be correct. When processing the data, the number of answers corresponding to the modern scientific concepts was taken into account.

Sample.The study involved 200 high school students and 196 junior college students aged 16–18 years, a total of 396 people (232 girls and 164 boys).

Results. The study has revealed that the worldview of middle-adolescent students is predominantly characterized by an average level of scientific concepts and presents an individual combination of scientific and everyday knowledge. It has been found out that boys demonstrate a significantly higher level of scientific views than girls. College students’ outlook tends to be more scientific than that of high school students, but the differences linked to the type of educational institution do not reach statistical significance.

Conclusion. The theoretical model of scientific worldview formation in the middle adolescence proposed by L.I. Bozhovich in the framework of cultural-historical approach is not confirmed. It is assumed that the key factor in the formation of an individual’s scientific worldview is not the scope of one’s knowledge but its personal meaning. The data obtained expand understanding of formation of the students’ worldview and provide new insights into the content and structure of modern individual’s out- look.

References

A large psychological dictionary. (2009). In B.G. Meshcheryakov, V.P. Zinchenko (Eds.). 4th expanded ed. Saint Petersburg: Prime-EURO SIGN. (In Russ.).

Asсh, S.Е. (1951). Effects of Group Pressure Upon the Modification and Distortion of Judgments. In H. Guetzkow (Eds.). Groups, leadership, and men (pp. 177–190). Pittsburgh, PA: Carnegie Press.

Bozhovich, L.I. (2008). Personality and its formation in childhood. Saint Petersburg: Piter. (In Russ.).

Inagaki, K., Hatano, G. (2013). Conceptual change in Naïve Biology. In Vosniadou S. (Eds.). International handbook of research on conceptual change (pp. 195–219). N.Y.: Taylor and Francis.

Kazanskaya, K.O., Romashchuk, A.N. (2021). The problem of transition from every day to scientific concepts: approach of “conceptual changes” and school L.S. Vygotsky. Vestnik Mos- kovskogo universiteta. Seriya 14. Psikhologiya (Vestnik of Moscow University. Series 14. Psychol- ogy), 3, 239–259. https://doi.org/10.11621/vsp.2021.03.12 (In Russ.).

Kornilov, S.A. (2010). The problem of reliability of psychological scales and its significance for psychodiagnostics in scientific and practical purposes. Eksperimental’naya psikhologiya v Rossii: traditsii i perspektivy (Experimental psychology in Russia: traditions and prospects). In V.A. Drumsirichova (Eds.), (pp. 101–105). Moscow: IP RAS. (In Russ.).

Leont’ev, A.N. (1975). Activity. Consciousness. Personality. Moscow: Politizdat. (In Russ.). Leont’ev, D.A. (2004). Worldview as a myth and worldview as an activity. Mentalitet i kommunikativnaya sreda v tranzitivnom obshchestve (Mentality and communicative environment in transitive society). In V.I. Kabrina, O. Muravieva (Eds.), (pp. 11–29). Tomsk: Tomsk State University. (In Russ.).

Mitina, O.V. (2015). Alpha Kronbach: when and why to consider it. Sovremennaya psikhodiagnostika Rossii. Preodolenie krizisa: sbornik materialov III Vserossiiskoi konferentsii: v 2 t. (Modern psychodiagnostics of Russia. Overcoming the crisis: collection of materials of the third All- Russian Conference: in 2 vols.). (1st ed.). In N.A. Baturin et al. (Eds.), (pp. 232–240). Chelyabinsk: SUSU Publishing Center. (In Russ.).

Orticio, E., Martí, L., Kidd, C. (2022). Social Prevalence Is Rationally Integrated in Belief Updating. Open Mind, 6 (4), 1–11. (Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.1162/opmi_a_00056) (re- view date: 31.03.2023).

Philosophical encyclopedic dictionary (1983). In L.F. Il’ichev, P.N. Fedoseev, S.M. Kovalev, V.G. Panov (Eds.). Moscow: Sov. encyclopedia (In Russ.).

Posner, G.J., Strike, K.A., Hewson, P.W., Gertzog, W.A. (1982). Accommodation of a Scientific Conception: Toward a Theory of Conceptual Change. Science Education, 66 (2), 211–228.

Vosniadou, S. (2019). The Development of Students’ Understanding of Science. Frontiers in Education, 4. (Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2019.00032) (review date: 31.03.2023).

Vosniadou, S., Vamvakoussi, X., Skopeliti, I. (2008). The Framework Theory Approach to the Problem of Conceptual Change. International Handbook of Research on Conceptual Change. In Vosniadou, S. (Eds.), (pp. 3–34). N.Y.: Taylor and Francis.

Vygotskii, L.S. (1982). Collected works (2nd ed.): Problems of general psychology. In V.V. Davydov (Eds.). Moscow: Pedagogy. (In Russ.).

Vygotskii, L.S. (1983). Collected works (3rd ed.): Problems of the development of the mind. In A.M. Matyushkin (Eds.). Moscow: Pedagogy. (In Russ.).