Scientists, attitudes toward

An example of an instrument designed to measure student attitudes is the Test of Science Related Attitudes, TOSRA (Fraser, 1981). TOSRA has been carefully field tested and has been shown to be highly reliable. It includes seven scales social implications of science, normality of scientists, attitude toward scientific inquiry, adoption of scientific attitudes, enjoyment of science lessons, leisure interest in science, and career interest in science. TOSRA has been used in many research applications to track attitudes and evaluate interventions. 

Indeed, many scientists were closely allied with the founders of the Swedish environmental movement, and, along with the media, were instrumental in overcoming industry and government reluctance to adopt a more progressive and responsible attitude toward environmental protection. More basically, many respected scientists furnished the technical arguments that provided the foundations for improved protection of the environment. 

Why was Hopkins so supportive of women scientists We find an interesting parallel with a mentor of women researchers in radioactivity, Ernest Rutherford. Both Rutherford and Hopkins were very close to their respective mothers. Rutherford wrote frequently and endearingly to his mother in New Zealand throughout his life,14 while the Hopkins archives contain several items of correspondence with his mother that show an exceptionally strong mother-son relationship.15 In fact, the first 10 years of Hopkins life was spent alone with his mother.10 Such strong maternal bonds may well account for supportive attitudes towards women students. 

Crowfoot was not promoted to Reader until 1957, and, even then she was not provided with modern lab facilities until the following year. The academic pinnacle of success, an endowed chair, was offered to her in 1960, but it was provided by the Royal Society, not the University of Oxford. Worldwide recognition of her work on the determination of the structures of biochemically important molecules came in 1964 with the Nobel Prize in Chemistry. However, indicative of the attitude towards women scientists, the news was announced by the Daily Mail newspaper as Nobel Prize for British Wife. 63... 

Attitudes toward prayer probably derive mosdy from personal experience in both scientists and laymen. We may pray to be granted something that we want very much. Sometimes we get it, sometimes we don t. If we... 

Equally confVislng, In the minds of many members of the non-sclentlflc lay public. Is the generally more objective, less emotional attitude that most scientists take toward presumed threats to human health and safety that — the public Is told — flow from scientific and technological activity, especially In the commercial, agricultural and Industrial world. "Those guys don t care — they re prostituting their Integrity for a paycheck," so that attitude concludes. 

Workers still have this attitude toward the need for knowing the number of active sites. Often catalytic scientists make conclusions based on small differences in site density (20),... 

In general, affect is used as an umbrella term for emotions, feelings, moods, and attitudes (Reiss, 2005). On the other hand, science educators consider interest, motivation, attitudes, beliefs, self-confidence, and self-efficacy as constructs of the affective domain (Alsop, 2003). Of these, attitudes toward science have been the particular focus of research in science education concerning affect (Alsop, 2005). Based on the earher work of educational theorists, Nieswandt (2005) defines attitude as a predisposition to respond positively or negatively to things, people, places or ideas (pp. 41-42). As such, attitudes of students toward science involve students predispositions to respond to science and scientists based on the views and images they develop as a result of relevant experiences (Ramsden, 1998). 

Jones, M. G., Howe, A, Rua, M. J. (2000). Gender differences in students experiences, interests, and attitudes toward science and scientists. Science Education, 84, 180-192. 

Shorter, YAyidwA. A History of Psychiatry From the Era of the Asylum to the Age of Prozac. Hoboken, N.J. John Wiley Sons, 1998. Condenses two hundred years of psychiatric theory and practice into a compelling and coherent narrative. Through a series of gripping anecdotes, it chronicles the sometime harsh and heroic efforts of generations of scientists and physicians to ease the suffering of people with mental illness as well as society s changing attitudes toward psychiatric problems and their treatment. 

The nationalist attitude toward physics inherent in Aryan physics and the rejection of Jewish physics might have contributed to Germany s failure to develop a nuclear weapon, by discouraging younger scientists from studying relativity or accepting its precepts as part of their research into nuclear fission. 

In the past, the principal factors that a businessman had to take into account when plotting a future course of activity for his firm were the attitude of the public toward his products and the likely actions and reactions of actual and potential competitors. If he chose to engage in research and development, he added a third category of worries—the possibility that nature might prove fickle and prevent his scientists and engineers from developing the new products and processes upon which his plans... 

In the last 30 years, significant events occurred that have already produced fundamental changes in the attitude of both the public and scientists toward herbal medicines. These are as follows ... 

Actually, the nomenclature problems of industry are not far different from those encountered in other lines of activity. And yet the attitude of the modern industrial scientist toward nomenclature is often different from that of one outside of industry The reason is that the industrialist is trained to be a member of a closely coordinated team, and he is reminded almost daily of the importance of keeping communications as clear as possible, while others are not so accustomed to thinking in terms of teamwork. 

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