Changes in Attitudes about the Relevance of Science (CARS)
The tool was developed to measure: (a) change of science-related attitudes over time among students; and (b) the effect of similar curricula on the attitudes of different classes.
Average Review: (4.0)
Supplemental Information:
- CARS_tool.pdf (35.3 KB) Download
Assessment Type:
Likert typeScale:
5-point Likert scale (strongly disagree, neutral, strongly agree)Publication Date:
Oct 22, 2003Respondent:
Middle and high school studentsDomain(s) Evaluated:
Attitude / BehaviorSample items:
Science can help me to make better choices about various things.Learning science will have an effect on the way I vote in elections.
Reliability:
The Cronbach Alpha for all the forms is above .80.Validity:
Most items fit the difficulty estimates of Rasch model.Frequency:
RarelyAdministration time:
20 minutesRequires a Computer:
NoRequires Internet Access:
NoPrimary reference:
Siegel, M. A., & Ranney, M. A. (2003). Developing the Changes in Attitude about the Relevance of Science (CARS) questionnaire and assessing two high school science classes. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 40(8), 757-775.Comments:
The tool has three versions of the instrument: A, B, and C; each version has 8 common questions and a total of 59 questions.Other Reference:
Smith, H. J. (2014). What do students find relevant in an introductory Geology course? Implications for changing students attitudes about the relevance of Geoscience in society. GSA Annual Meeting in Vancouver, British Columbia, 265.
CARS was used to quantitatively analyze changes in student attitude, finding no significant difference. This suggests the instrument is still in use for papers and subsequently still valid.
Cartwright, T. J., & Atwood, J. (2014). Elementary pre-service teachers response-shift bias: Self-efficacy and attitudes toward science. International Journal of Science Education, 36(14), 2421-2437.
Sasson, I. (2014). The role of informal science centers in science education: Attitudes, skills, and self-efficacy. Journal of Technology and Science Education, 4(3).
Liu, X. (2011). Developing measurement instruments for science education research. Second International Handbook of Science Education, 651-665.
STEM Criteria
Science
YesTechnology
NoEngineering
NoMath
NoLearn how to Obtain this Assessment Tool
Contact
Marcelle A. Siegel Assistant Professor University of Missouri, Columbia siegelm@missouri.edu Michael Ranney Associate Professor, University of California Berkely ranney@berkeley.edu
Marcelle A. Siegel Assistant Professor University of Missouri, Columbia siegelm@missouri.edu Michael Ranney Associate Professor, University of California Berkely ranney@berkeley.edu