Primary and Secondary students’ attitude towards the dichotomic view of Science

Abstract

The formation of student attitudes towards science and technology (S&T) is influenced by many factors: The way they are worked in school, the social perception of scientific and technological contributions, the focus of the news about discoveries in the media, the use of both by advertising... However, if we look thoroughly at the image that is transmitted from the S&T, we see certain dichotomous issues: sometimes it is shown the «good science», medical advances, devices which are able to improve life quality, lengthening life expectancy, and so on; but in others it appears the «bad science», the one linked to pollution or radiation or behind the military industry, or the one which produces harmful effects to health and environment, etc. The intention of this article is to explore the attitude of elementary and secondary education students against this dichotomic view of science.