A Study of Value Orientations as a Characteristic of Secondary School Students and Teachers of Chemistry and as a Factor in Learning.

The value orientations of 39 chemistry teachers and their 120 students were measured and compared to the theoretical, humanistic, and technological aspects of chemistry. A Chemistry Preference Evaluation Instrument containing alternative statements concerning these three aspects was administered to teachers and students. The reliability coefficients (all significant at the .001 confidence level) were: humanistic .85 and .78; theoretical .90 and .85; technological .77 and .72, for students and teachers respectively. Male students scored significantly higher on the technological and female students, on the humanistic. All three aspects of chemistry were correlated to different degrees with the number of courses in university chemistry preparation, number of years teaching experience, and the teaching of biology. A fixed effects factorial model was employed with the students blocked into different levels on humanistic orientation scores and chemistry grades. Three treatments, consisting of humanistic, technological, and placebo introductions to each of five programmed units, were administered. Three way analysis of variance and significant interactions were graphed for analysis. There was no significant difference in learning between experimental treatments or attributable to levels of humanistic value orientation. (Author/LS)