Examining the Relationship between Middle School Students’ Critical Reading Skills, Science Literacy Skills and Attitudes: A Structural Equation Modeling

Year 2017, Volume: 3 Issue: 1, 29 - 39, 31.01.2017

Ersin Karademir Ufuk Ulucinar

https://doi.org/10.21891/jeseh.275669

Cited By: 4

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to verify the causal
relationship between middle school students' critical reading skills, science
literacy skills and attitudes towards science literacy with research data
according to the default model. Through the structural equation modeling, path
analysis has been applied in the study which was designed in correlational
model. The sample of the study
consists of 1170 students enrolled in 18 schools determined based on
socio-economic status. However, the results showed that validity criteria was
satisfied with the 1130 participants. As data collection tool, the scale of critical
reading skills, science literacy skills test, and the attitude scale toward
science literacy were used. Descriptive statistics, Pearson product moment correlation
analysis technique and path analysis were employed for the data analysis. The
findings of the research show that there are significant and positive relations
between critical reading skills, science literacy skills and attitudes towards
science. In addition, critical reading skills have a statistically positive
predictive effect on science literacy skill. It has also been founded that
science literacy skills predict the attitudes towards scientific literacy in a
meaningful way. Moreover, critical reading skills directly predict the
scientific literacy in a meaningful, positive direction. It has been revealed that science literacy skill, which
exists in the model, acts as partial mediating variable. As a result, as
put forward in theory, critical thinking, critical reading skill, and science
literacy skills and attitudes have been found to be closely related.

Keywords

Middle school students, Critical thinking, Critical reading skill, Science literacy skill, Attitudes toward science literacy

References

• Karademir, E. & Ulucinar, U. (2017). Examining the relationship between middle school students’ critical reading skills, science literacy skills and attitudes: A structural equation modeling. Journal of Education in Science, Environment and Health (JESEH), 3(1), 29-39.