John E. Greer

Measuring Attitude towards Science among Secondary School Students: The Affective Domain.

Abstract This paper describes the development of a new measure of attitude towards science for use among secondary school pupils which operationalises the affective attitudinal domain. Item selection, the internal structure and reliability of the scale, content validity and construct validity were established on a sample of 2129 pupils in the third, fourth, fifth and lower sixth years of Protestant and Catholic grammar schools in Northern Ireland. Scale norms demonstrate that males record a more positive attitude towards science than females, and that younger pupils record a more positive attitude towards science than older pupils.

Measuring attitudes towards Christianity among pupils in Catholic secondary schools in Northern Ireland

Summary The Francis scale of attitude towards Christianity Form ASC4B was completed by 935 pupils in years one through five of Roman Catholic maintained secondary schools in Northern Ireland. The data support the reliability, unidimensionality and construct validity of the scale among this population and enable comparisons to be made with previously published data on pupils attending Roman Catholic schools within the state‐maintained sector in England and Scotland.

Measuring attitudes towards Christianity among pupils in Protestant secondary schools in Northern Ireland

Abstract The Francis scale of attitude towards Christianity Form ASC4B was completed by 1189 pupils in years one through five of Protestant secondary schools in Northern Ireland. The data support the psychometric properties of the scale among this population and enable comparisons to be made with previously published data on pupils in other parts of the U.K.

Shaping Adolescents' Attitudes towards Science and Religion in Northern Ireland: The Role of Scientism, Creationism and Denominational Schools.

A sample of 1584 pupils between the ages of 14 and 16 years, attending Year 9, Year 10 and Year 11 classes within Protestant and Catholic grammar schools in Northern Ireland completed indices of attitude towards Christianity, attitude towards science, creationism and scientism. The data demonstrate that the apparent independence of attitude towards science and attitude towards Christianity is transformed into a positive relationship after taking into account individual differences in scientism and creationism.

Religious Attitudes and Thinking in Belfast Pupils

Summary In 1979, a sample of 2,149 pupils aged 8‐16 was selected from schools in Belfast and a questionnaire administered which included Peatlings instrument ‘Thinking about the Bible’ and Francis’ ‘Religious Attitude Scale’. Pupils had an increasing preference for abstract thinking and a decreasing preference for concrete thinking as they got older. Grammar school pupils were more inclined to prefer abstract thinking than secondary (intermediate) pupils, and Roman Catholic pupils were slightly more inclined to prefer abstract thinking than Protestants. Overall, pupils had fairly positive attitudes to religion but these deteriorated steadily from P6 to Form 4. Roman Catholics had more favourable attitudes to religion than Protestants, and girls had more favourable attitudes than boys. Roman Catholic Church attendance remained at a remarkably high level while Protestant attendance declined close to a figure representing occasional attendance. The relationship of religious thinking and religious attitudes ...

Attitude Toward Science among Secondary School Pupils in Northern Ireland: relationship with sex, age and religion

Abstract A total of 1549 pupils between the ages of 13 and 16 years attending 12 Protestant and 12 Catholic grammar schools in Northern Ireland completed the Menis scales of attitude toward science. The data demonstrate that although the importance attributed to science is unrelated to sex, age or denominational group, girls, fifth formers and pupils in Catholic schools hold less positive attitudes toward science in the school curriculum and to science as a career than is the case among boys, third formers and pupils in Protestant schools.

Attitudes towards creationism and evolutionary theory: the debate among secondary pupils attending Catholic and Protestant schools in Northern Ireland:

A sample of 2129 pupils in the third through sixth years of Protestant and Catholic grammar schools in Northern Ireland completed an index concerned with attitudes towards creationism and evolutionary theory. The data demonstrate that among this age group in Northern Ireland, 48 percent accept the view that “God created the world as described in the Bible,” while 33 percent accept the view that “Science disproves the biblical account of creation.” Support for creationism is stronger among girls than boys, among Protestants than Catholics, and among third and fourth year students than fifth and sixth year students. The results have implications for understanding the conflict between science and religion and for both science educators and religious educators.

The Religious Profile of Pupils in Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland is one of the most deeply divided countries in the world. These divisions are reflected in a separate system of Protestant and Catholic schools. This paper examines the distinctive religious cultures of 1,177 fourth, fifth and sixth year secondary pupils educated in the two types of schools, by means of a survey which included three major psychometric instruments, namely a scale of attitude towards Christianity, a scale of rejection of Christianity and a scale of Christian moral values, together with questions on religious practices and beliefs. The findings indicated significant and consistent differences in the religious profiles of the two denominational groups, but not complete contrast. The implications of these findings are discussed for the educational system in Northern Ireland.

Measuring ‘Rejection of christianity’ among 14–16-year-old adolescents in Catholic and Protestant schools in Northern Ireland

Abstract In response to suggested limitations associated with the positive valency of conventional scales employed to measure attitudes towards Christianity in previous research among adolescents in Northern Ireland, this paper describes the development of a new scale with negative valency. Item selection, the internal structure of the scale, reliability and construct validity are established on a sample of 875 fourth and fifth year pupils attending ten Catholic and ten Protestant secondary schools in Northern Ireland. Tentative scale norms are presented separately for male and female pupils attending Protestant and Catholic schools in Northern Ireland. Suggestions are offered for the application of the scale in future research.

The Contribution of Religious Experience To Christian Development

A total of 1,177 fourth, fifth and sixth year pupils from ten Protestant and ten Catholic schools in Northern Ireland completed a detailed questionnaire containing three measures of Christian attitudes and a question about religious experience. The data suggest that the acknowledgement and naming of personal religious experience is associated with the formation of more positive attitudes towards Christianity. The implications of these findings are discussed both for further research and for curriculum development.