Multivariate assessment of prospective science teachers’ attitudes towards nanobiotechnology

This study’s goal was to examine the attitudes of prospective science teachers towards nanobiotechnology according to different variables (their gender, grade level, family educational status, family income status, the region of their university, the frequency of teaching nanotechnology topics in their courses, and the status of following scientific publications). The survey method was used in the current study. The study data were obtained from a nanobiotechnology attitude scale and a personal information form and applied to 1318 prospective science teachers. The collected data were analyzed by the Mann-Whitney U and Kruskal-Wallis H tests. It was determined that the attitudes of prospective science teachers towards nanobiotechnology differed according to grade level, the region of their university, the frequency of teaching nanotechnology topics in their courses, and the status of following scientific publications. However, they did not differ according to gender, family educational status, and income status. The results obtained from the study reflecting a profile of Turkey can guide educational policymakers, program developers, lecturers, and researchers working on nanobiotechnology.