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  2. 2013
  3. January
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  5. VOSE 9 items
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Instructions to participants:

Each item of this questionnaire starts with a statement about the nature of science. Most statements adopt a certain radical stance. You may strongly agree with it, strongly disagree with it, or have other thoughts about it. Each statement is followed by several responses. Please read all of the responses first, then choose your opinion on the right side of each response according to your knowledge of scientific activities or scientists.

You should select a choice for each response, not just pick one response and make a choice for that response only.

There are no right or wrong answers. Thank you very much for completing this questionnaire.
 
 
1. Scientific investigations are influenced by cultural or social values, such as current trends, or popular beliefs.
Strongly Disagree Disagree Uncertain or No Comment Agree Strongly Agree
A. Yes, cultural or social values influence the direction and topics of scientific investigations.
B. Yes, because scientists participating in scientific investigations are influenced by cultural or social values.
C. No, scientists with good training will remain value-free when carrying out research.
D. No, because science requires objectivity, but cultural or social values are based on an individual’s view.
 
 
2. When scientists are conducting scientific research, will they use their imagination?
Strongly Disagree Disagree Uncertain or No Comment Agree Strongly Agree
A. Yes, imagination is a main source of innovation.
B. Yes, scientists sometimes use their imagination in scientific research.
C. No, imagination is not consistent with the logical principles of science.
D. No, imagination may lead a scientist to prove his point at all costs.
E. No, imagination and creativity lack reliability.
 
 
3. Even if the scientific investigations are carried out correctly, the theory proposed can still be disproved in the future.
Strongly Disagree Disagree Uncertain or No Comment Agree Strongly Agree
A. Scientific research will face revolutionary change, and the old theory will be replaced.
B. Scientific advances take a long time and are cumulative processes; therefore, the old theory is not replaced.
C. With the accumulation of research data and information, the theory will become more accurate and complete, but not be disproved.
 
 
4. Are scientific theories (e.g., natural selection, atomic theory) “discovered” or “invented” by scientists?
Strongly Disagree Disagree Uncertain or No Comment Agree Strongly Agree
A. Discovered, because the idea was there all the time to be uncovered.
B. Discovered, because it is based on experimental facts.
C. Some scientists discover a theory accidentally, but other scientists may invent a theory from their known facts.
D. Invented, because a theory is an interpretation of experimental facts, and experimental facts are discovered by scientists.
E. Invented, because a theory is created or worked out by scientists.
F. Invented, because a theory can be disproved.
 
 
5. Are scientific laws (e.g., gravitational law) “discovered” or “invented” by scientists?
Strongly Disagree Disagree Uncertain or No Comment Agree Strongly Agree
A. Discovered, because scientific laws are out there in nature, and scientists just have to find them.
B. Discovered, because scientific laws are based on experimental facts.
C. Some scientists discover a law accidentally, but other scientists may invent a law from their known facts.
D. Invented, because scientists invent scientific laws to interpret discovered experimental facts.
E. Invented, since there are no absolutes in nature, therefore, the law is invented by scientists.
 
 
6. In comparison to laws, theories have less evidence to support them.
Strongly Disagree Disagree Uncertain or No Comment Agree Strongly Agree
A. Yes, theories are not as definite as laws.
B. Yes, if a theory stands up to many tests it will eventually become a law, therefore, a law has more supporting evidence.
C. Not quite, some theories have more supporting evidence than some laws.
D. No, theories and laws are different types of ideas. They cannot be compared.
 
 
7. Scientists’ observations are influenced by personal beliefs (e.g., personal experiences, preconceived ideas); therefore, different scientists may not make the same observations for the same experiment.
Strongly Disagree Disagree Uncertain or No Comment Agree Strongly Agree
A. Observations will be different, because different beliefs cause scientists to expect different results.
B. Observations will be the same, because the scientists trained in the same field hold similar ideas.
C. Observations will be the same, because through scientific training scientists can abandon personal values to conduct objective observations.
D. Observations will be the same, because observations are exactly what we see and nothing more. Facts are facts. Interpretations may be different from one person to another, but observations should be the same.
E. Observations will be the same. Although subjectivity cannot be completely avoided in observation, scientists use different methods to verify the results and improve objectivity.
 
 
8. Most scientists follow the universal scientific method, step-by-step, to do their research (i.e., state a hypothesis, design an experiment, collect data, and draw conclusions).
Strongly Disagree Disagree Uncertain or No Comment Agree Strongly Agree
A. The scientific method ensures valid, clear, logical and accurate results. Thus, most scientists follow the universal method in research.
B. Most scientists use the scientific method because it is a logical procedure.
C. The scientific method is useful in most instances, but it does not ensure results; therefore, scientists invent new methods.
D. There is no so-called the scientific method. Scientists use a variety of methods to obtain results.
E. There is no fixed scientific method; scientific knowledge could be accidentally discovered.
 
 
9. When two different theories arise to explain the same phenomenon (e.g., fossils of dinosaurs), will scientists accept the two theories at the same time?
Strongly Disagree Disagree Uncertain or No Comment Agree Strongly Agree
A. Yes, because scientists still cannot objectively tell which one is better; therefore, they will accept both tentatively.
B. Yes, because the two theories may provide explanations from different perspectives, there is no right or wrong.
C. No, because scientists tend to accept the theory they are more familiar with.
D. No, because scientists tend to accept the simpler theories and avoid complex theories.
E. No, the reputation of the scientist proposing a theory will influence scientists’ acceptance of the theory.
F. No, scientists tend to accept new theories which are not very different from scientific theories that are currently accepted.
G. No, scientists use intuition to make judgments.
H. No, because there is only one truth, scientists will not accept any theory before deciding which is best.