Student Characteristics & Attitudes Towards Science Subject

This study is carried out to examine the variation of attitudes towards science over Eighth Grade students in Malaysia. The study attempts to identify the determinants which affect students’ attitude towards science using data from Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) conducted in 2007. At total of 4466 students were involved in this study. Students’ attitude towards science are represented by indices and classified into three different index categories. The indices are Index of Students’Positive Affect Towards Science (PATS), Index of Student’s Self-Confidence in learning Science (SCS) and also Index of Student’s Valuing Science (SVS). According to the results of this study, achievement in science and frequent use of computers to do science homework are significantly associated with all the three categories of attitude. Student who spoke the language of the test at home more frequently had higher level of positive affect than the student who less spoke the language of the test at home. While, students whose mother with higher education level had lower positive affect compared to students whose mother with lower education level.