ABSTRACT
Attitudes are important in developing how we think and ultimately influencing the choices we make. If we want children to be good scientists and to choose to become scientists, then their attitudes and how these are formed are important. This chapter will examine what we mean by an ‘attitude’ and in particular what ‘attitudes in science’ means. It will consider how these attitudes are developed and will then look at some studies concerning attitude change and development. The key questions we wish to address are:
what are attitudes relating to science?
what influences their formation in the early years?
what happens when pupils transfer to secondary school?
how do attitudes influence uptake to A-levels?
