<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><xml><records><record><source-app name="Biblio" version="7.x">Drupal-Biblio</source-app><ref-type>17</ref-type><contributors><authors><author><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Martin Rusek</style></author><author><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Vlastimil Chytrý</style></author><author><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Linda Honskusová</style></author></authors></contributors><titles><title><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">THE EFFECT OF LOWER-SECONDARY CHEMISTRY EDUCATION: STUDENTS’ UNDERSTANDING TO THE NATURE OF CHEMISTRY AND THEIR ATTITUDES</style></title><secondary-title><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Journal of Baltic Science Education</style></secondary-title></titles><keywords><keyword><style  face="normal" font="default" size="100%">chemistry education</style></keyword><keyword><style  face="normal" font="default" size="100%">education effectiveness</style></keyword><keyword><style  face="normal" font="default" size="100%">interest in science</style></keyword><keyword><style  face="normal" font="default" size="100%">students’ attitudes</style></keyword></keywords><dates><year><style  face="normal" font="default" size="100%">2019</style></year><pub-dates><date><style  face="normal" font="default" size="100%">April/2019</style></date></pub-dates></dates><urls><web-urls><url><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">http://oaji.net/articles/2019/987-1554359947.pdf</style></url></web-urls></urls><volume><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">18</style></volume><pages><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Continuous</style></pages><language><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">eng</style></language><abstract><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">This research follows the previous study examining the effect of chemistry education on students’ perception and understanding to the nature of chemistry (NoC) as well as their attitudes towards it as a school subject. Grade 9 students (N = 282) at the end of their compulsory schooling were given a set of open-ended questions focused on their understanding to NoC, perception of chemistry topics’ importance, topics the students found interesting and their evaluation of chemistry as a school subject. The answers were analysed using the open coding approach. It is possible to conclude most of the students do not have a clear idea about the nature of chemistry. Students assess chemistry as a school subject in the middle of the 5 point Likert scale. The results of this research offer the background for a more complex analysis of effects influencing students’s conception of chemistry and its subject matter.</style></abstract><issue><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">2</style></issue><work-type><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Original article</style></work-type><section><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">286-299</style></section></record><record><source-app name="Biblio" version="7.x">Drupal-Biblio</source-app><ref-type>17</ref-type><contributors><authors><author><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Vincentas Lamanauskas</style></author><author><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Janis Gedrovics</style></author><author><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Jekabs Raipulis</style></author></authors></contributors><titles><title><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">SENIOR PUPILS’ VIEWS AND APPROACH TO NATURAL SCIENCE EDUCATION IN LITHUANIA AND LATVIA</style></title><secondary-title><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Journal of Baltic Science Education</style></secondary-title></titles><keywords><keyword><style  face="normal" font="default" size="100%">interest in science</style></keyword><keyword><style  face="normal" font="default" size="100%">natural science education</style></keyword><keyword><style  face="normal" font="default" size="100%">upper secondary school</style></keyword></keywords><dates><year><style  face="normal" font="default" size="100%">2004</style></year><pub-dates><date><style  face="normal" font="default" size="100%">March/2003</style></date></pub-dates></dates><urls><web-urls><url><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">http://oaji.net/articles/2016/987-1482419315.pdf</style></url></web-urls></urls><volume><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">3</style></volume><language><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">eng</style></language><abstract><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">The global tendency is obvious: interest in science is on the decrease, the number of pupils choosing university science curriculums has been constantly declining, and scientific knowledge in society (especially among young people) is inadequate. In our opinion, humanity verges on social cataclysms owing to inadequate natural science education as well as on insufficient and often improper knowledge of nature and human. Natural sciences give us most fundamental knowledge about the world of nature. Encouragement of young people’s interest in science is the essential scientific problem. As educational paradigms are being altered we must search for new quality approaches to teaching chemistry and other science subjects.

The research, which involved 350 senior pupils from Latvia and 762 from Lithuania, analyzes present-day situation in natural science education. We tried to analyze the factors that cause the interest in natural sciences to decline: inadequate content of teaching, issues related to teachers‘ competence, general attitude of society to natural sciences etc.

Thus, we may conclude that:  

·        the respondents positively evaluate natural science background, although their arguments differ. A part of them suppose that the knowledge acquired in basic school is sufficient. The others assume that natural science knowledge will not be necessary in the future. The pragmatic aspect is very clear. Quite a few pupils do not relate their future profession with natural sciences, and therefore believe that obtained information is fully enough;

·        the respondents, obviously, are self-critical of already received natural science background at basic school. The role of a teacher, his/her competence and ability to engage pupils are highly relevant. An important point is to catch the moment when a pupils is “misunderstanding something”. Systematically growing gaps of knowledge negatively influence a learner’s approach to natural sciences in general. Then s/he is out of conceit, sees nothing important to learn, many things become uninteresting. A crucial aspect is a very small amount of practical, experimental works of natural history. An educational process of natural sciences is clearly theoretic. It should be stressed that natural sciences are mainly experimental. Therefore, experimentation has to be included into the educational process;

·        the respondents’ approach to the future intentions is determined by public social-economic tendencies. Evidently, that rich life in the future is related to social, humanitarian and technological sciences.</style></abstract><issue><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">1</style></issue><work-type><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">Original article</style></work-type><section><style face="normal" font="default" size="100%">13-23</style></section></record></records></xml>