Saudi students’ and science teachers’ knowledge of and attitudes towards biotechnology

ABSTRACT

This study examined Saudi secondary students’ and science teachers’ knowledge of, and attitudes towards, biotechnology. A mixed methodology approach (i.e., incorporating semi-structured interviews and questionnaires) was utilised. A questionnaire was provided to 138 Saudi students (44 grade 10 students, 45 grade 11 students, and 49 grade 12 students) and 75 Saudi science teachers; in addition, a semi-structured interview was carried out with 10 of these science teachers to explore their opinions on biotechnology. The questionnaire was a Likert scale survey comprising 43 questions. Fifteen of these questions (i.e., the Biotechnology Knowledge Questionnaire, BKQ) were linked to biotechnological knowledge as a way to determine the extent of the secondary students’ and science teachers’ knowledge about biotechnology and how it is used; a further 28 questions were added to fulfil the above objective. The findings from this research indicate a limited awareness of biotechnology among Saudi students and science teachers. Furthermore, most of the interviewed educators agree that the Saudi science curriculum insufficiently addresses the most important issues in biotechnology. In order to increase their awareness, students need to be introduced to the subject of biotechnology within an overarching Saudi science education curriculum.

KEYWORDS:

• Knowledge
• attitudes
• secondary students
• science teachers
• biotechnology education

Consent statement

Informed consent forms were sent to the participants with the request for them to read the forms carefully and make a decision as to whether or not they would like to participate in the research.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Ethical statement

The participants involved in this research were provided with informed consent forms to read and sign prior to the research being completed. They were informed of the research’s purpose and what tasks would be carried out. They were also advised that they could withdraw their child from the research at any stage and without providing a reason.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Jouf University Research Project 40/174.