Multivariate Analysis of Beliefs in Pseudoscience and Superstitions Among Pre‑service Teachers in Spain
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Springer
Date
2022-06-10Referencia bibliográfica
Fernández-Carro, R... [et al.]. Multivariate Analysis of Beliefs in Pseudoscience and Superstitions Among Pre-service Teachers in Spain. Sci & Educ (2022). [https://doi.org/10.1007/s11191-022-00354-y]
Sponsorship
CRUE-CSIC agreement; Springer Nature; Spanish Government RTI2018-094303-A-I00; State R&D&I Program Oriented; State Plan for Scientific and Technical Research and InnovationAbstract
Do pre-service teachers have the same beliefs in superstitions and pseudoscience as the
members of their generation? We expect so, because they are slightly different in at least
two of the variables that explain differences, namely family income and level of studies,
and also, normatively, because beliefs among teaching staff appear to be a key matter in
the scientific literacy of citizens. Research reported in this paper compared data from the
general public of the same age to our sample of 578 pre-service teachers from five Spanish
universities, using the same questionnaire. Multivariate regression analysis is then used to
study the factors that affect defence of such beliefs and the differences between pre-service
teachers and their age group. We have found that, on the contrary to what was expected,
beliefs among pre-service teachers are not far from those of their age group in the population
at large. Within that relatively homogenous group, a favourable attitude toward pseudoscience
and superstition mainly depends on their educational level and basic knowledge
of science, but that knowledge probably depends on their spontaneous interest in scientific
matters and a prior favourable attitude. These results have implications in training scientific
teachers and in the scientific literacy of the population. Thus, we must consider such nonscientific
beliefs when designing classroom proposals and when communicating scientific
content in social contexts.