Nanotechnology Attitude Scale Development Study for Pre-Service Science Fields Teachers

Abstract

The aim of this study is to develop a measurement tool to measure the attitudes of pre-service teachers in science fields towards nanotechnology. For this purpose, a five-point Likert-type scale consisting of 55 items was applied to 373 pre-service teachers who are enrolled in science fields (Science, Chemistry, Biology, Physics) at the grades 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th at a public university in Turkey. As a result of the exploratory factor analysis (EFA), it was determined that the scale had a 3-factor structure consisting of 24 items and the factors explained 55.854% of the total variance of the attitude variable. Verification of the model was tested by applying confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). The data used for CFA were obtained from 770 pre-service teachers who are enrolled in science fields at the grades 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th at two different public universities in Turkey. The results obtained from CFA were in agreement with model obtained by EFA. Cronbach's alpha (Cr-α) reliability of the scale was calculated to be 0.926. Findings from the validity and reliability analyzes show that the scale is a valid and reliable measurement tool that can be used to measure pre-service science fields teachers’ attitudes toward nanotechnology.