Public Perception of Science: Mapping the Concepts of Brazilian Undergraduate Students of the State of Sao Paulo through Structural Equation Modeling

Fernanda de Oliveira Simon; Estéfano Vizconde Veraszto; José Tarcísio Franco de Camargo; Dirceu da Silva; Leandro Valim de Freitas; Nonato Assis de Miranda

doi:doi:10.11648/j.ajtas.s.2014030601.11

Public Perception of Science: Mapping the Concepts of Brazilian Undergraduate Students of the State of Sao Paulo through Structural Equation Modeling

Fernanda de Oliveira Simon, Estéfano Vizconde Veraszto, José Tarcísio Franco de Camargo, Dirceu da Silva, Leandro Valim de Freitas, Nonato Assis de Miranda

Published in American Journal of Theoretical and Applied Statistics (Volume 3, Issue 6-1)

Received: 12 November 2014 Accepted: 2 December 2014 Published: 27 December 2014

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Abstract

Once modern society depends in large-scale of scientific development, the degree of association between scientific knowledge and attitudes toward science has historical, social and political implications. In this sense, it becomes crucial to analyze the public attitudes regarding to science as these are related to the changing context of scientific practices and their implications for practical problems. Thus, we developed a survey instrument that allowed us to assess the causal relationships and correlations between conceptions, attitudes and socio-demographic factors in relation to science, using as a mediator theme the genetic engineering. Among the socio-demographic factors are included: gender, age, income, religion, schooling, consumption of information provided by the media, perception of knowledge and personal experience. For the composition of the sample, students from various undergraduate courses from public and private institutions were selected. The data were analyzed quantitatively by structural equation modeling. The results show that the conceptions that people have about science directly and positively influence their attitudes towards science. The social factors have their weight, but on a much smaller scale.

Published in	American Journal of Theoretical and Applied Statistics (Volume 3, Issue 6-1) This article belongs to the Special Issue Statistical Engineering
DOI	10.11648/j.ajtas.s.2014030601.11
Page(s)	1-18
Creative Commons	This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.
Copyright	Copyright © The Author(s), 2014. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Science, Public Perception of Science, Attitudes Regarding to Science, Statistical Indicators

References

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Fernanda de Oliveira Simon, Estéfano Vizconde Veraszto, José Tarcísio Franco de Camargo, Dirceu da Silva, Leandro Valim de Freitas, et al. (2014). Public Perception of Science: Mapping the Concepts of Brazilian Undergraduate Students of the State of Sao Paulo through Structural Equation Modeling. American Journal of Theoretical and Applied Statistics, 3(6-1), 1-18. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajtas.s.2014030601.11

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Fernanda de Oliveira Simon; Estéfano Vizconde Veraszto; José Tarcísio Franco de Camargo; Dirceu da Silva; Leandro Valim de Freitas, et al. Public Perception of Science: Mapping the Concepts of Brazilian Undergraduate Students of the State of Sao Paulo through Structural Equation Modeling. Am. J. Theor. Appl. Stat. 2014, 3(6-1), 1-18. doi: 10.11648/j.ajtas.s.2014030601.11

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Fernanda de Oliveira Simon, Estéfano Vizconde Veraszto, José Tarcísio Franco de Camargo, Dirceu da Silva, Leandro Valim de Freitas, et al. Public Perception of Science: Mapping the Concepts of Brazilian Undergraduate Students of the State of Sao Paulo through Structural Equation Modeling. Am J Theor Appl Stat. 2014;3(6-1):1-18. doi: 10.11648/j.ajtas.s.2014030601.11

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@article{10.11648/j.ajtas.s.2014030601.11,
  author = {Fernanda de Oliveira Simon and Estéfano Vizconde Veraszto and José Tarcísio Franco de Camargo and Dirceu da Silva and Leandro Valim de Freitas and Nonato Assis de Miranda},
  title = {Public Perception of Science: Mapping the Concepts of Brazilian Undergraduate Students of the State of Sao Paulo through Structural Equation Modeling},
  journal = {American Journal of Theoretical and Applied Statistics},
  volume = {3},
  number = {6-1},
  pages = {1-18},
  doi = {10.11648/j.ajtas.s.2014030601.11},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajtas.s.2014030601.11},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ajtas.s.2014030601.11},
  abstract = {Once modern society depends in large-scale of scientific development, the degree of association between scientific knowledge and attitudes toward science has historical, social and political implications. In this sense, it becomes crucial to analyze the public attitudes regarding to science as these are related to the changing context of scientific practices and their implications for practical problems. Thus, we developed a survey instrument that allowed us to assess the causal relationships and correlations between conceptions, attitudes and socio-demographic factors in relation to science, using as a mediator theme the genetic engineering. Among the socio-demographic factors are included: gender, age, income, religion, schooling, consumption of information provided by the media, perception of knowledge and personal experience. For the composition of the sample, students from various undergraduate courses from public and private institutions were selected. The data were analyzed quantitatively by structural equation modeling. The results show that the conceptions that people have about science directly and positively influence their attitudes towards science. The social factors have their weight, but on a much smaller scale.},
 year = {2014}
}

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AU  - Estéfano Vizconde Veraszto
AU  - José Tarcísio Franco de Camargo
AU  - Dirceu da Silva
AU  - Leandro Valim de Freitas
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Y1  - 2014/12/27
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JF  - American Journal of Theoretical and Applied Statistics
JO  - American Journal of Theoretical and Applied Statistics
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Fernanda de Oliveira Simon

Community College of Campinas, Campus III, FAC, Campinas, Sao Paulo, Brazil
Estéfano Vizconde Veraszto

Federal University of Sao Carlos, UFSCar Campus Araras, Sao Paulo, Brazil
José Tarcísio Franco de Camargo

Universitary Regional Center of Espirito Santo do Pinhal, UNIPINHAL, Sao Paulo Brazil
Dirceu da Silva

State University of Campinas, UNICAMP, Campinas, Sao Paulo, Brazil
Leandro Valim de Freitas

Paulista State University, UNESP, S?o Paulo, Brasil
Nonato Assis de Miranda

Municipal University of Sao Caetano do Sul, USCS, Sao Caetano do Sul, Sao Paulo, Brasil

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Fernanda de Oliveira Simon, Estéfano Vizconde Veraszto, José Tarcísio Franco de Camargo, Dirceu da Silva, Leandro Valim de Freitas, et al. (2014). Public Perception of Science: Mapping the Concepts of Brazilian Undergraduate Students of the State of Sao Paulo through Structural Equation Modeling. American Journal of Theoretical and Applied Statistics, 3(6-1), 1-18. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajtas.s.2014030601.11

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Fernanda de Oliveira Simon; Estéfano Vizconde Veraszto; José Tarcísio Franco de Camargo; Dirceu da Silva; Leandro Valim de Freitas, et al. Public Perception of Science: Mapping the Concepts of Brazilian Undergraduate Students of the State of Sao Paulo through Structural Equation Modeling. Am. J. Theor. Appl. Stat. 2014, 3(6-1), 1-18. doi: 10.11648/j.ajtas.s.2014030601.11

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Fernanda de Oliveira Simon, Estéfano Vizconde Veraszto, José Tarcísio Franco de Camargo, Dirceu da Silva, Leandro Valim de Freitas, et al. Public Perception of Science: Mapping the Concepts of Brazilian Undergraduate Students of the State of Sao Paulo through Structural Equation Modeling. Am J Theor Appl Stat. 2014;3(6-1):1-18. doi: 10.11648/j.ajtas.s.2014030601.11

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@article{10.11648/j.ajtas.s.2014030601.11,
  author = {Fernanda de Oliveira Simon and Estéfano Vizconde Veraszto and José Tarcísio Franco de Camargo and Dirceu da Silva and Leandro Valim de Freitas and Nonato Assis de Miranda},
  title = {Public Perception of Science: Mapping the Concepts of Brazilian Undergraduate Students of the State of Sao Paulo through Structural Equation Modeling},
  journal = {American Journal of Theoretical and Applied Statistics},
  volume = {3},
  number = {6-1},
  pages = {1-18},
  doi = {10.11648/j.ajtas.s.2014030601.11},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajtas.s.2014030601.11},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ajtas.s.2014030601.11},
  abstract = {Once modern society depends in large-scale of scientific development, the degree of association between scientific knowledge and attitudes toward science has historical, social and political implications. In this sense, it becomes crucial to analyze the public attitudes regarding to science as these are related to the changing context of scientific practices and their implications for practical problems. Thus, we developed a survey instrument that allowed us to assess the causal relationships and correlations between conceptions, attitudes and socio-demographic factors in relation to science, using as a mediator theme the genetic engineering. Among the socio-demographic factors are included: gender, age, income, religion, schooling, consumption of information provided by the media, perception of knowledge and personal experience. For the composition of the sample, students from various undergraduate courses from public and private institutions were selected. The data were analyzed quantitatively by structural equation modeling. The results show that the conceptions that people have about science directly and positively influence their attitudes towards science. The social factors have their weight, but on a much smaller scale.},
 year = {2014}
}

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TY  - JOUR
T1  - Public Perception of Science: Mapping the Concepts of Brazilian Undergraduate Students of the State of Sao Paulo through Structural Equation Modeling
AU  - Fernanda de Oliveira Simon
AU  - Estéfano Vizconde Veraszto
AU  - José Tarcísio Franco de Camargo
AU  - Dirceu da Silva
AU  - Leandro Valim de Freitas
AU  - Nonato Assis de Miranda
Y1  - 2014/12/27
PY  - 2014
N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajtas.s.2014030601.11
DO  - 10.11648/j.ajtas.s.2014030601.11
T2  - American Journal of Theoretical and Applied Statistics
JF  - American Journal of Theoretical and Applied Statistics
JO  - American Journal of Theoretical and Applied Statistics
SP  - 1
EP  - 18
PB  - Science Publishing Group
SN  - 2326-9006
UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajtas.s.2014030601.11
AB  - Once modern society depends in large-scale of scientific development, the degree of association between scientific knowledge and attitudes toward science has historical, social and political implications. In this sense, it becomes crucial to analyze the public attitudes regarding to science as these are related to the changing context of scientific practices and their implications for practical problems. Thus, we developed a survey instrument that allowed us to assess the causal relationships and correlations between conceptions, attitudes and socio-demographic factors in relation to science, using as a mediator theme the genetic engineering. Among the socio-demographic factors are included: gender, age, income, religion, schooling, consumption of information provided by the media, perception of knowledge and personal experience. For the composition of the sample, students from various undergraduate courses from public and private institutions were selected. The data were analyzed quantitatively by structural equation modeling. The results show that the conceptions that people have about science directly and positively influence their attitudes towards science. The social factors have their weight, but on a much smaller scale.
VL  - 3
IS  - 6-1
ER  -

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