Social representations about science among students
The article presents the results of a comparative study on social representations about science among students of social and natural sciences. My interest was focused mainly on the scientific metaparadigms we can find behind these representations, especially positivism and constructivism. The basic...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Slovenian Psychologists' Association
2003-09-01
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| Series: | Psihološka Obzorja |
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| Online Access: | http://psiholoska-obzorja.si/arhiv_clanki/2003_3/sostaric.pdf |
| _version_ | 1818026113535836160 |
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| author | Špela Šoštarič |
| author_facet | Špela Šoštarič |
| author_sort | Špela Šoštarič |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The article presents the results of a comparative study on social representations about science among students of social and natural sciences. My interest was focused mainly on the scientific metaparadigms we can find behind these representations, especially positivism and constructivism. The basic epistemological difference between the two is in accepting or rejecting the possibility of acquiring objective knowledge about reality. In the first part of the research I used my own questionnaire about social representations about science and scientific knowledge. In the second part the interviews were performed with students who had obtained extreme scores on the questionnaire – in any of the two directions. The results of the questionnaire indicated that the students of natural sciences hold more positivistic representations and the students of social sciences more constructivistic ones. In the interviews these differences disappeared. Surprising resemblances were evident especially at the ontological and epistemological levels. I try to examine these results from the viewpoint of Tajfel's social identity theory and Bečaj's understanding of the structural model of the enviroment. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-10T04:26:51Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-fc78f1e63c174b6f8704db89b2ad8b6b |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2350-5141 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-10T04:26:51Z |
| publishDate | 2003-09-01 |
| publisher | Slovenian Psychologists' Association |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Psihološka Obzorja |
| spelling | doaj.art-fc78f1e63c174b6f8704db89b2ad8b6b2022-12-22T02:02:16ZengSlovenian Psychologists' AssociationPsihološka Obzorja2350-51412003-09-01123117130121Social representations about science among studentsŠpela ŠoštaričThe article presents the results of a comparative study on social representations about science among students of social and natural sciences. My interest was focused mainly on the scientific metaparadigms we can find behind these representations, especially positivism and constructivism. The basic epistemological difference between the two is in accepting or rejecting the possibility of acquiring objective knowledge about reality. In the first part of the research I used my own questionnaire about social representations about science and scientific knowledge. In the second part the interviews were performed with students who had obtained extreme scores on the questionnaire – in any of the two directions. The results of the questionnaire indicated that the students of natural sciences hold more positivistic representations and the students of social sciences more constructivistic ones. In the interviews these differences disappeared. Surprising resemblances were evident especially at the ontological and epistemological levels. I try to examine these results from the viewpoint of Tajfel's social identity theory and Bečaj's understanding of the structural model of the enviroment.http://psiholoska-obzorja.si/arhiv_clanki/2003_3/sostaric.pdfpositivism (philosophy)constructivismsocial representationsstudentsscience |
| spellingShingle | Špela Šoštarič Social representations about science among students Psihološka Obzorja positivism (philosophy) constructivism social representations students science |
| title | Social representations about science among students |
| title_full | Social representations about science among students |
| title_fullStr | Social representations about science among students |
| title_full_unstemmed | Social representations about science among students |
| title_short | Social representations about science among students |
| title_sort | social representations about science among students |
| topic | positivism (philosophy) constructivism social representations students science |
| url | http://psiholoska-obzorja.si/arhiv_clanki/2003_3/sostaric.pdf |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT spelasostaric socialrepresentationsaboutscienceamongstudents |