A Study of Teachers’ Perception towards Scientific temper

A Study of Teachers’ Perception towards Scientific temper | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article A Study of Teachers’ Perception towards Scientific temper Ajay Sharma, Puspanjali Tripathy This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-6625513/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract A study on teachers' perception of scientific temper is essential as the teachers play a crucial role in students' learning by inculcating scientific temper among them. In this regard, the high school trained graduate teachers (TGT), particularly science teachers' perception and understanding of the term "scientific temper" was studied in this article. As a case study of Punjab, India, 672 TGT science teachers teaching classes VI-X are examined via response to the prepared questionnaire. Out of 672 teachers, 525 were from CBSE-affiliated private schools and 147 were from Punjab State Education Board (PSEB) affiliated schools in Punjab. It was inferred from the responses that many teachers of CBSE-affiliated private schools have never heard the word "scientific temper." TGT science teachers generally heard to this word during their bachelor of Education course or in-service training. Many TGT science teachers are also unaware that our constitution includes the term "scientific temper." The existence of the term scientific temper in the Indian Constitution is unknown to around one-fourth of the TGT science teachers participated in the survey. Subconstructs of the Bajwa and Mahajan 2012 SAS scale, i.e., open-mindedness, curiosity, faith in the scientific method, rationality, and superstition, are used in the questions for TGT science teachers who responded yes to the first question related to scientific temper. Some teachers are conversant with the subconstructs of scientific temper. From the survey, it is found that orientation programs specifically on scientific temper are not included in the designed in-service teacher training programs for both CBSE and PSEB. However, all teachers agree that education aims to inculcate the scientific temper among students. Figures Figure 1 Figure 2 Figure 3 Figure 4 Figure 5 Figure 6 Introduction As a cognitive attribute, scientific temper represents a mode of thinking that emphasizes rationality, scepticism, curiosity, and objectivity. It enables individuals to question established norms, seek evidence-based solutions, and embrace a spirit of inquiry. A key component of the scientific temperament is the capacity to pose questions, draw conclusions from real-world experiences, and look for explanations for natural phenomena rather than just considering them to be miracles (Dawson & Venville, 2009 ). This includes the ability to recognize cause and effect in everyday life (Krishnan & Bhuvaneswari, 1990) and to inquire about the "how," "what," and "why" of an object, event, or phenomenon rather than merely stating one's beliefs (Haksar et al., 1981 ). Originating from the discourse on scientific reasoning and its application in societal contexts, scientific temper has been globally recognized as a crucial element in fostering intellectual growth and technological advancement. In the Indian context, the significance of scientific temper was explicitly enshrined in the Constitution of India under Article 51A(h), mandating citizens to develop a spirit of inquiry and reform. Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, India's first prime minister, talked on the value of fostering a "critical temper of science," or a scientific approach to problem-solving, while rejecting extra-scientific and irrational ideas. In his 1946 book "The Discovery of India." For school students, the teachers and specially the TGT (trained graduate teachers) science teachers play a crucial role in students' learning by inculcating scientific temper among them. Teachers need to understand current scientific discussions and discourses as well as how students relate to what they are learning in the classroom (Kumar, 2022 ). Teachers must help the students to distinguish between what is scientific and what is not, as well as how to react to new information. As “leaders in the classroom,” it is desirable for teachers to have an internally scientific temper (Netto SG & Dominic P, 2023). Teaching scientific temper without an adequate understanding of historical and philosophical dimensions of science is impossible. To develop scientific temper is to develop a principled understanding of science. TGT science teachers usually focus on the content of learners’ beliefs. Learning content is necessary but not enough to develop scientific temper among the students (Bardapurkar, A., 2020). TGT science teachers play a pivotal role in shaping the scientific mindset of the younger generation. Their understanding of scientific temper directly influences how they inculcate critical thinking, curiosity, and problem-solving skills among students. The pedagogical approaches and attitudes of TGT science teachers serve as a conduit for translating abstract principles of scientific inquiry into practical applications in classrooms and beyond. TGT science teachers believed that science has the potential to develop some values, such as a scientific temper, which is an attitude, behaviour, ability, and realization. However, it is failing because we are more oriented towards content knowledge. So, they thought there is a requirement of something more apart from content knowledge (Sharma, A., 2020, January ). Teacher professional development significantly influences inquiry-based teaching practice and investigative classroom culture, while content preparation also significantly impacts teaching practice and classroom culture (Supovitz, J., & Turner, H., 2000 ). However, despite its acknowledged importance, the level of understanding of scientific temper among TGT science teachers remains an area warranting rigorous exploration. According to I Scheffler (I Scheffler, 1965 ) Philosophical models of teaching, The Concept of Education, R S Peters, Ed., Routledge, pp.83–92, 1967) the nature, personality, and behaviour of science are just as important to science education as its subject matter. While there have been extensive studies on the role of teachers in education reform and science pedagogy, limited attention has been paid to assessing their comprehension and application of scientific temper as an educational ethos. This gap is significant, as the alignment between a teacher's understanding of scientific temper and their teaching practices can profoundly impact the development of a scientifically literate society. According to A. Sharma, (Sharma, A., 2020, January ) it was evident that TGT science teachers in the study hold some alternate ideas and misconceptions about science and scientific temper and have not rationalized the aim of science education. Taking into the consideration of the importance of topic, the present study aims to evaluate the level of understanding of scientific temper among TGT science teachers and analyse its implications for educational practices. By examining the awareness, attitudes, and pedagogical strategies of TGT science teachers, the research seeks to uncover critical insights into their readiness to foster scientific thinking and inquiry among students. Furthermore, it strives to identify potential barriers and recommend actionable strategies for enhancing the integration of scientific temper in science education. Methodology An online questionnaire was given to TGT science teachers. This study uses Bajwa and Mahajan's (2011) Scientific Attitude Scale (SAS) scale subconstructs, which are also used in designing the questionnaire to gather information on scientific temper. The subconstructs of scientific temper such as curiosity, open-mindedness, faith in the scientific method, superstition, and rationality were included. The survey was performed in the state of Punjab, India. Punjab is a state in northwestern India. In Punjab, the schools are predominantly affiliated to two educational boards. These boards are the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) and the Punjab School Education Board (PSEB). Before in the survey, the TGT science teachers' training programs for both boards were studied thoroughly. A questionnaire with 15 items was prepared after discussing with experts of the science education domain. After that, the questionnaire was floated online among the TGT science teachers of CBSE and PSEB schools in different districts of Punjab. Punjab has three regions: Malwa, Majha, and Doaba. Malwa region has fourteen districts, Doaba region has five districts, and the Majha region has four districts. In this study, teachers from four districts of the Malwa region of Punjab, two districts of the Majha region of Punjab, and two districts of the Doaba region of Punjab participated. After the teachers' responses were received, the data analysis was carried out. Results and Discussion In this survey, 672 in-service TGT science teachers were participated. Among them, 525 were from CBSE affiliated private schools, and 147 were from State Government (PSEB) schools in Punjab. Out of the total participants, 516 were female, and 156 were male. In CBSE and PSEB, the number of female teachers at the TGT level is higher than that of male teachers. Based on their prior teaching experiences, the participating teachers are categorized into three groups. 202 teachers were under the category 0–5 years of teaching experiences. 212 teachers had 6–10 years and 254 teachers had more than 10 years of teaching experiences. The first question was “Are you familiar with the word Scientific temper?” In response to this question, 195 (around 29%) teachers responded "No," as shown in Fig. 1 . 349 in-service TGT science teachers from CBSE schools and 128 from PSEB schools were among the 477 in-service teachers who responded in the affirmative to the question. After analysing the number of teachers who said "No" in the response, it has been found out of 525 the total CBSE TGT science teachers, around 35% of the CBSE participants as shown in Fig. 2 (a). Out of 147 PSEB science teachers, around 8% of PSEB TGT teachers said 'No', as shown in Fig. 2 (b). In Responses to the question “Is scientific temper word there in the Indian constitution?” Around 76.10% of total teachers said ‘yes’ Indian constitution has constituted the term ‘Scientific temper”. However, significant percentages, i.e. 23.90% of total teachers are not aware of the fact that the term scientific temper is mentioned in the Indian constitution. Out of 114 respondents who said ‘No’, 25.43% were from PSEB and 74.56% were from CBSE affiliated schools. In responses to the question “When did you first encounter the term scientific temper?”, 46.3% of teachers mentioned that they first heard this term during their Bachelor in Education (B.Ed.) course. 39.41% of respondents mentioned they came across this word during their teaching service and 14.25% gave the credit to other sources. For designing the next question, subdomains of scientific temper as defined by “Bajwa and Mahajan” scale were used. It outlined five sub-scales of scientific attitudes: rationality, curiosity, open-mindedness, opposition to superstition, and faith in the scientific method as aligned with the description of scientific attitudes by Gauld & Hukins ( 1980 ). In response to the question “Which of the following do you believe is most closely related to scientific temper?”, out of the total teachers, 41.5% teachers selected all subdomains. 23.8% mentioned believing in the scientific method as most closely associated with scientific temper. 18.84% of teachers selected open-mindedness as most closely associated with scientific temper, 8.17% mentioned rationality as the most closely associated word with scientific temper, and 7.54% mentioned curiosity as most closely associated with scientific temper as shown in Fig. 3 . Surprisingly, no respondent selected "superstitions" as the most related word to scientific temper. The next question was “Can scientific temper be inculcated in school students through science teaching with the help of experiments?”. In a response to this question, 97.48% of total TGT science teachers believed that scientific temper can be inculcated in students through science teaching with the help of experiments. The next question was “What is the goal of science education?”. To the question 71.1% of total respondents believed that education aims to develop a scientific temper among school students. Only 28.3% of the total number of TGT science teachers emphasised that the goal of science education is to get marks along with inculcation of scientific temper for the students. As mentioned earlier, the teachers participated in the survey was categorized based on the experience of teaching in schools: 0–5 years, 6–10 years, and more than 10 years. Out of 672 teachers, 123 respondents did not participate in any training programs pertaining to teaching with experiments. After analysing the responses received from CBSE and PSEB schools separately, it was found that 31% of CBSE and 11% of PSEB teachers did not attend training programs about teaching with experiments as shown in Fig. 4 . Respondents who attended the in-service training programs during their job tenure, there were 127 teachers who had teaching experience in the range 0–5 years. For this category of teachers, to a question related to teacher training programs, i.e., “How many training programs specifically related to teaching through science experiments have you attended?"", 52.75% answered that they received in-service training teaching through science experiments once a year, but a significant number, 37.79%, did not receive any in-service teacher training program. The responses are shown in Fig. 5a. There were 141 teachers in the second category, i.e., with six to ten years of experience. According to the last question's response, 69.50% of teachers received training on using science experiments to teach once a year, while 20.56% did not receive any in-service teacher training program for this purpose. Few got the training once in every three years, and even fewer once in every five years. The information is displayed in Fig. 5b. There were 208 teachers in the third category with more than ten years of experience. As seen in Figure 5c, a sizable portion of these teachers, 22.11%, did not receive any in-service teacher training program teaching through science experiments, whereas 66.34% of them received in-service training teaching through science experiments once a year. There was another question “How many training programs have you attended that focus specifically on scientific temper? “In the response to this question, as shown in Fig. 7, only 1% in TGT science teachers of total 672 attended in-service training programs specific to scientific temper. Rest 99% science teachers never attended such specific programs related to scientific temper. Most of the teachers are getting in-service teacher training during their first year, but 25.78% of teachers are left without in-service training and from this, 82.11% are from CBSE affiliated schools. There is no specific in-service training related to the scientific temper of the school students. All TGT science teachers agreed that the goal of education should be to inculcate scientific temper among school students. In our survey, as per the responses from teachers, it is also found that, both CBSE and PSEB schools have good infrastructure for science labs and the students visit labs regularly. The science teachers who have heard the word scientific temper are familiar with all the sub-constructs of scientific temper, such as rationality, curiosity, open-mindedness, and faith in the scientific process. They believe that these sub-constructs are associated with scientific temper. In the second place, teachers think “faith in the scientific method” is closely associated with scientific temper. After this, teachers think “rationality” and “curiosity” are the most closely associated words. It is very surprising that none of the TGT science teachers chose “superstition” as the closest word to scientific temper. It is very important for teachers to be aware of science education goals. Science education is a tool that inculcates critical and logical thinking among school students so that the society can be scientifically literate. Almost 35% of total in-service TGT science teachers of CBSE schools have not heard the word scientific temper. However, PSEB teachers who participated in the survey know the word scientific temper. There may be so many reasons, but the most likely reason is that for the PSEB TGT science teachers’ government ensures the minimum eligibility and in-service teachers training programs, but for CBSE schools, the scenario is different. For in-service training, schools have to pay the training fee per teachers for the in-service training. Although CBSE has done in-service teachers training programs mandatory, the results indicated that the training programs for all teachers are not implemented properly. Conclusion There is a significant difference between state government in-service TGT science teachers and CBSE private school teachers in the state of Punjab, India, regarding the basic understanding of scientific temper. In-service TGT science teachers of PSEB schools are familiar with the term “scientific temper” and its subconstructs, but this is not the case for CBSE schools. In-service TGT science teachers of both PSEB and CBSE believed that science teaching through experiments would be helpful in the development of scientific temper. Still, CBSE teachers have had very few opportunities to attend such training compared to PSEB TGT science teachers. There is no in-service training program for TGT science teachers of both PSEB and CBSE teachers about the scientific temper and its development and measurement in school students. So, this study suggests a need for orientation programs for in-service teachers to evaluate their classroom science teachings in the inculcation of scientific temper. Declarations Ethics Approval Statement: This study was reviewed and approved by the CSIR-NIScPR ethics committee under approval number 12-Ethics.NIScPR-CoA/2022. Participant Consent Statement: All participants (or their legal guardians, where applicable) provided informed consent to participate in this study. Where required, consent for publication was also obtained. In cases where the need for consent was waived, this was approved by the ethics committee referenced above. Author Contribution We confirm that we have both made substantial contributions to the development of the manuscript titled “A Study of Teachers’ Perception towards Scientific Temper.”Ajay Sharma (First Author) was primarily responsible for the conceptualization, design, data collection, analysis, and initial drafting of the manuscript.Dr Puspanjali Tripathy (Second Author) contributed to the critical review, editing, and refinement of the manuscript to ensure academic quality and coherence.Both authors have read and approved the final version of the manuscript and agree to be accountable for its content. We also confirm that there is no conflict of interest associated with this work. Data Availability All the Data will be provided on request. References Bajwa S. & Mahajan M. (2012). Scientific attitude scale. Agra: National Psychology Corporation. Bardapurkar, A. (2023). The canvas of science education. Contemporary Education Dialogue , 20 (2), 321-330. Bhargava, P. M., & Chakrabarti, C. (2010). Angels, devil and science: A collection of articles on scientific temper. New Delhi, India: National Book Trust. Dawson, V., & Venville, G. J. (2009). High‐school Students’ Informal Reasoning and Argumentation about Biotechnology: An indicator of scientific literacy? International Journal of Science Education , 31 (11), 1421-1445. Gauld, C. F., & Hukins, A. A. (1980). Scientific attitudes: A review. Studies in Science Education, 7(1), 129–161. https://doi. org/10.1080/03057268008559877 Haksar, P. N., Ramanna, R., & Bhargava, P. M. (1981). A statement on scientific temper. The Nehru Centre . Scheffler, I. (1965). Philosophical models of teaching. Harvard Educational Review , 35 (2), 131-143. Sharma, A. (2020, January). Science and scientific temper. In International Conference to Review Research in Science, Technology and Mathematics Education January (pp. 3-6). Kumar, V. (2022). Science teaching in schools and scientific temper. In Proceedings of the International Conference on Best Innovative Teaching Strategies (ICON-BITS 2021) . Netto, S. G., & Dominic, P. (2023). Locus of Control and Scientific Temper of Student teachers at the secondary level. International Journal of Educational Reform , 10567879231202474. Supovitz, J., & Turner, H. (2000). The effects of professional development on science teaching practices and classroom culture. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 37(9), 963–980. Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. Our growing team is made up of researchers and industry professionals working together to solve the most critical problems facing scientific publishing. Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-6625513","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":454672082,"identity":"ba62cc26-f0b3-4081-a3da-94f9f633d47c","order_by":0,"name":"Ajay Sharma","email":"data:image/png;base64,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","orcid":"","institution":"CSIR-National Institute of Science Communication and Policy Research (CSIR-NIScPR)","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Ajay","middleName":"","lastName":"Sharma","suffix":""},{"id":454672083,"identity":"c68b448a-cc0c-47b6-b5f7-9269b6d76cf1","order_by":1,"name":"Puspanjali Tripathy","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"CSIR-National Institute of Science Communication and Policy Research (CSIR-NIScPR)","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Puspanjali","middleName":"","lastName":"Tripathy","suffix":""}],"badges":[],"createdAt":"2025-05-09 06:23:11","currentVersionCode":1,"declarations":"","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-6625513/v1","doiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-6625513/v1","draftVersion":[],"editorialEvents":[],"editorialNote":"","failedWorkflow":false,"files":[{"id":82616062,"identity":"bef9a92f-94b3-412f-af28-dddabf81f2c1","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-05-13 11:39:04","extension":"png","order_by":1,"title":"Figure 1","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":27926,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eResponse to the question “Are you familiar with the word scientific temper?”\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"1.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-6625513/v1/d331ccb9b4565975df623185.png"},{"id":82616063,"identity":"a24b3f55-383c-4d4f-8888-0ab954b571e2","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-05-13 11:39:04","extension":"png","order_by":2,"title":"Figure 2","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":60444,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003ePlot for number of teachers who responded “No” to the question “Are you familiar with the word\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"2.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-6625513/v1/e6c8513c21ce29fcd4edcb98.png"},{"id":82616065,"identity":"af4a0633-ab28-4e03-9f34-999af1d8f94b","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-05-13 11:39:04","extension":"png","order_by":3,"title":"Figure 3","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":42379,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003ePlot for number of teachers who responded to the question \"Which of the following do you believe is most closely related to scientific temper?”\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"3.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-6625513/v1/08ae62b4718c698c9b26590b.png"},{"id":82616072,"identity":"7d3442a8-40bc-4ae2-a65b-2c45500fe999","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-05-13 11:39:05","extension":"png","order_by":4,"title":"Figure 4","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":47693,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003ePlot for teachers from (a) CBSE and (b) PSEB who did not attend any training program\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"4.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-6625513/v1/6401c288003ace5b8b7cf5cd.png"},{"id":82617939,"identity":"e614c0a9-13c7-4c4f-9538-2fea236257c5","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-05-13 11:55:05","extension":"png","order_by":5,"title":"Figure 5","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":137428,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eResponses of teachers with teaching experiences of (a) 0-5 years, (b) 5-10 years and (c) more than 10 years to the question related to fequecy of training program\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"5.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-6625513/v1/3713687a2cbcfa1c3bd42b64.png"},{"id":82616068,"identity":"60048c90-fb62-46c0-8c7b-d93a9ba19c67","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-05-13 11:39:05","extension":"png","order_by":6,"title":"Figure 6","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":21808,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003ePlot for responses to question “How many training programs have you attended that focus specifically on scientific temper?”\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"6.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-6625513/v1/12f9be38bc30ff6abb1b7a20.png"},{"id":84142179,"identity":"6227b6e4-2edb-4544-add6-002c4de1e5a7","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-06-08 00:46:19","extension":"pdf","order_by":0,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":550222,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"manuscript.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-6625513/v1/c63c07d6-6768-474c-883a-c7d70058002d.pdf"}],"financialInterests":"No competing interests reported.","formattedTitle":"A Study of Teachers’ Perception towards Scientific temper","fulltext":[{"header":"Introduction","content":"\u003cp\u003eAs a cognitive attribute, scientific temper represents a mode of thinking that emphasizes rationality, scepticism, curiosity, and objectivity. It enables individuals to question established norms, seek evidence-based solutions, and embrace a spirit of inquiry. A key component of the scientific temperament is the capacity to pose questions, draw conclusions from real-world experiences, and look for explanations for natural phenomena rather than just considering them to be miracles (Dawson \u0026amp; Venville, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR4\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2009\u003c/span\u003e). This includes the ability to recognize cause and effect in everyday life (Krishnan \u0026amp; Bhuvaneswari, 1990) and to inquire about the \"how,\" \"what,\" and \"why\" of an object, event, or phenomenon rather than merely stating one's beliefs (Haksar et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR6\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e1981\u003c/span\u003e). Originating from the discourse on scientific reasoning and its application in societal contexts, scientific temper has been globally recognized as a crucial element in fostering intellectual growth and technological advancement. In the Indian context, the significance of scientific temper was explicitly enshrined in the Constitution of India under Article 51A(h), mandating citizens to develop a spirit of inquiry and reform. Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, India's first prime minister, talked on the value of fostering a \"critical temper of science,\" or a scientific approach to problem-solving, while rejecting extra-scientific and irrational ideas. In his 1946 book \"The Discovery of India.\"\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eFor school students, the teachers and specially the TGT (trained graduate teachers) science teachers play a crucial role in students' learning by inculcating scientific temper among them. Teachers need to understand current scientific discussions and discourses as well as how students relate to what they are learning in the classroom (Kumar, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR9\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2022\u003c/span\u003e). Teachers must help the students to distinguish between what is scientific and what is not, as well as how to react to new information. As \u0026ldquo;leaders in the classroom,\u0026rdquo; it is desirable for teachers to have an internally scientific temper (Netto SG \u0026amp; Dominic P, 2023). Teaching scientific temper without an adequate understanding of historical and philosophical dimensions of science is impossible. To develop scientific temper is to develop a principled understanding of science. TGT science teachers usually focus on the content of learners\u0026rsquo; beliefs. Learning content is necessary but not enough to develop scientific temper among the students (Bardapurkar, A., 2020).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eTGT science teachers play a pivotal role in shaping the scientific mindset of the younger generation. Their understanding of scientific temper directly influences how they inculcate critical thinking, curiosity, and problem-solving skills among students. The pedagogical approaches and attitudes of TGT science teachers serve as a conduit for translating abstract principles of scientific inquiry into practical applications in classrooms and beyond. TGT science teachers believed that science has the potential to develop some values, such as a scientific temper, which is an attitude, behaviour, ability, and realization. However, it is failing because we are more oriented towards content knowledge. So, they thought there is a requirement of something more apart from content knowledge (Sharma, A., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR8\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2020, January\u003c/span\u003e). Teacher professional development significantly influences inquiry-based teaching practice and investigative classroom culture, while content preparation also significantly impacts teaching practice and classroom culture (Supovitz, J., \u0026amp; Turner, H., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR11\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2000\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eHowever, despite its acknowledged importance, the level of understanding of scientific temper among TGT science teachers remains an area warranting rigorous exploration. According to I Scheffler (I Scheffler, \u003cspan citationid=\"CR7\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e1965\u003c/span\u003e) Philosophical models of teaching, The Concept of Education, R S Peters, Ed., Routledge, pp.83\u0026ndash;92, 1967) the nature, personality, and behaviour of science are just as important to science education as its subject matter.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eWhile there have been extensive studies on the role of teachers in education reform and science pedagogy, limited attention has been paid to assessing their comprehension and application of scientific temper as an educational ethos. This gap is significant, as the alignment between a teacher's understanding of scientific temper and their teaching practices can profoundly impact the development of a scientifically literate society. According to A. Sharma, (Sharma, A., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR8\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2020, January\u003c/span\u003e) it was evident that TGT science teachers in the study hold some alternate ideas and misconceptions about science and scientific temper and have not rationalized the aim of science education. Taking into the consideration of the importance of topic, the present study aims to evaluate the level of understanding of scientific temper among TGT science teachers and analyse its implications for educational practices. By examining the awareness, attitudes, and pedagogical strategies of TGT science teachers, the research seeks to uncover critical insights into their readiness to foster scientific thinking and inquiry among students. Furthermore, it strives to identify potential barriers and recommend actionable strategies for enhancing the integration of scientific temper in science education.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"Methodology","content":"\u003cp\u003eAn online questionnaire was given to TGT science teachers. This study uses Bajwa and Mahajan's (2011) Scientific Attitude Scale (SAS) scale subconstructs, which are also used in designing the questionnaire to gather information on scientific temper. The subconstructs of scientific temper such as curiosity, open-mindedness, faith in the scientific method, superstition, and rationality were included. The survey was performed in the state of Punjab, India.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003ePunjab is a state in northwestern India. In Punjab, the schools are predominantly affiliated to two educational boards. These boards are the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) and the Punjab School Education Board (PSEB). Before in the survey, the TGT science teachers' training programs for both boards were studied thoroughly. A questionnaire with 15 items was prepared after discussing with experts of the science education domain. After that, the questionnaire was floated online among the TGT science teachers of CBSE and PSEB schools in different districts of Punjab.\u003c/p\u003e \u003cp\u003ePunjab has three regions: Malwa, Majha, and Doaba. Malwa region has fourteen districts, Doaba region has five districts, and the Majha region has four districts. In this study, teachers from four districts of the Malwa region of Punjab, two districts of the Majha region of Punjab, and two districts of the Doaba region of Punjab participated. After the teachers' responses were received, the data analysis was carried out.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"Results and Discussion","content":"\u003cp\u003eIn this survey, 672 in-service TGT science teachers were participated. Among them, 525 were from CBSE affiliated private schools, and 147 were from State Government (PSEB) schools in Punjab. Out of the total participants, 516 were female, and 156 were male. In CBSE and PSEB, the number of female teachers at the TGT level is higher than that of male teachers. Based on their prior teaching experiences, the participating teachers are categorized into three groups. 202 teachers were under the category 0\u0026ndash;5 years of teaching experiences. 212 teachers had 6\u0026ndash;10 years and 254 teachers had more than 10 years of teaching experiences.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe first question was \u0026ldquo;Are you familiar with the word Scientific temper?\u0026rdquo;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn response to this question, 195 (around 29%) teachers responded \u0026quot;No,\u0026quot; as shown in Fig. \u003cspan class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e1\u003c/span\u003e. 349 in-service TGT science teachers from CBSE schools and 128 from PSEB schools were among the 477 in-service teachers who responded in the affirmative to the question.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAfter analysing the number of teachers who said \u0026quot;No\u0026quot; in the response, it has been found out of 525 the total CBSE TGT science teachers, around 35% of the CBSE participants as shown in Fig. \u003cspan class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e2\u003c/span\u003e(a). Out of 147 PSEB science teachers, around 8% of PSEB TGT teachers said \u0026apos;No\u0026apos;, as shown in Fig. \u003cspan class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e2\u003c/span\u003e(b).\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn Responses to the question \u0026ldquo;Is scientific temper word there in the Indian constitution?\u0026rdquo; Around 76.10% of total teachers said \u0026lsquo;yes\u0026rsquo; Indian constitution has constituted the term \u0026lsquo;Scientific temper\u0026rdquo;. However, significant percentages, i.e. 23.90% of total teachers are not aware of the fact that the term scientific temper is mentioned in the Indian constitution. Out of 114 respondents who said \u0026lsquo;No\u0026rsquo;, 25.43% were from PSEB and 74.56% were from CBSE affiliated schools.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn responses to the question \u0026ldquo;When did you first encounter the term scientific temper?\u0026rdquo;, 46.3% of teachers mentioned that they first heard this term during their Bachelor in Education (B.Ed.) course. 39.41% of respondents mentioned they came across this word during their teaching service and 14.25% gave the credit to other sources.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFor designing the next question, subdomains of scientific temper as defined by \u0026ldquo;Bajwa and Mahajan\u0026rdquo; scale were used. It outlined five sub-scales of scientific attitudes: rationality, curiosity, open-mindedness, opposition to superstition, and faith in the scientific method as aligned with the description of scientific attitudes by Gauld \u0026amp; Hukins (\u003cspan class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e1980\u003c/span\u003e). In response to the question \u0026ldquo;Which of the following do you believe is most closely related to scientific temper?\u0026rdquo;, out of the total teachers, 41.5% teachers selected all subdomains. 23.8% mentioned believing in the scientific method as most closely associated with scientific temper. 18.84% of teachers selected open-mindedness as most closely associated with scientific temper, 8.17% mentioned rationality as the most closely associated word with scientific temper, and 7.54% mentioned curiosity as most closely associated with scientific temper as shown in Fig. \u003cspan class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e3\u003c/span\u003e. Surprisingly, no respondent selected \u0026quot;superstitions\u0026quot; as the most related word to scientific temper.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"BlockQuote\"\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eThe next question was \u0026ldquo;Can scientific temper be inculcated in school students through science teaching with the help of experiments?\u0026rdquo;. In a response to this question, 97.48% of total TGT science teachers believed that scientific temper can be inculcated in students through science teaching with the help of experiments.\u003c/p\u003e\n \u003cp\u003eThe next question was \u0026ldquo;What is the goal of science education?\u0026rdquo;. To the question 71.1% of total respondents believed that education aims to develop a scientific temper among school students. Only 28.3% of the total number of TGT science teachers emphasised that the goal of science education is to get marks along with inculcation of scientific temper for the students.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAs mentioned earlier, the teachers participated in the survey was categorized based on the experience of teaching in schools: 0\u0026ndash;5 years, 6\u0026ndash;10 years, and more than 10 years. Out of 672 teachers, 123 respondents did not participate in any training programs pertaining to teaching with experiments. After analysing the responses received from CBSE and PSEB schools separately, it was found that 31% of CBSE and 11% of PSEB teachers did not attend training programs about teaching with experiments as shown in Fig. \u003cspan class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e4\u003c/span\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eRespondents who attended the in-service training programs during their job tenure, there were 127 teachers who had teaching experience in the range 0\u0026ndash;5 years. For this category of teachers, to a question related to teacher training programs, i.e., \u0026ldquo;How many training programs specifically related to teaching through science experiments have you attended?\u0026quot;\u0026quot;, 52.75% answered that they received in-service training teaching through science experiments once a year, but a significant number, 37.79%, did not receive any in-service teacher training program. The responses are shown in Fig.\u0026nbsp;5a.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThere were 141 teachers in the second category, i.e., with six to ten years of experience. According to the last question\u0026apos;s response, 69.50% of teachers received training on using science experiments to teach once a year, while 20.56% did not receive any in-service teacher training program for this purpose. Few got the training once in every three years, and even fewer once in every five years. The information is displayed in Fig.\u0026nbsp;5b.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThere were 208 teachers in the third category with more than ten years of experience. As seen in Figure 5c, a sizable portion of these teachers, 22.11%, did not receive any in-service teacher training program teaching through science experiments, whereas 66.34% of them received in-service training teaching through science experiments once a year.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThere was another question \u0026ldquo;How many training programs have you attended that focus specifically on scientific temper? \u0026ldquo;In the response to this question, as shown in Fig. 7, only 1% in TGT science teachers of total 672 attended in-service training programs specific to scientific temper. Rest 99% science teachers never attended such specific programs related to scientific temper.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMost of the teachers are getting in-service teacher training during their first year, but 25.78% of teachers are left without in-service training and from this, 82.11% are from CBSE affiliated schools. There is no specific in-service training related to the scientific temper of the school students. All TGT science teachers agreed that the goal of education should be to inculcate scientific temper among school students. In our survey, as per the responses from teachers, it is also found that, both CBSE and PSEB schools have good infrastructure for science labs and the students visit labs regularly.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe science teachers who have heard the word scientific temper are familiar with all the sub-constructs of scientific temper, such as rationality, curiosity, open-mindedness, and faith in the scientific process. They believe that these sub-constructs are associated with scientific temper. In the second place, teachers think \u0026ldquo;faith in the scientific method\u0026rdquo; is closely associated with scientific temper. After this, teachers think \u0026ldquo;rationality\u0026rdquo; and \u0026ldquo;curiosity\u0026rdquo; are the most closely associated words. It is very surprising that none of the TGT science teachers chose \u0026ldquo;superstition\u0026rdquo; as the closest word to scientific temper.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt is very important for teachers to be aware of science education goals. Science education is a tool that inculcates critical and logical thinking among school students so that the society can be scientifically literate. Almost 35% of total in-service TGT science teachers of CBSE schools have not heard the word scientific temper. However, PSEB teachers who participated in the survey know the word scientific temper. There may be so many reasons, but the most likely reason is that for the PSEB TGT science teachers\u0026rsquo; government ensures the minimum eligibility and in-service teachers training programs, but for CBSE schools, the scenario is different. For in-service training, schools have to pay the training fee per teachers for the in-service training. Although CBSE has done in-service teachers training programs mandatory, the results indicated that the training programs for all teachers are not implemented properly.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"Conclusion","content":"\u003cp\u003eThere is a significant difference between state government in-service TGT science teachers and CBSE private school teachers in the state of Punjab, India, regarding the basic understanding of scientific temper. In-service TGT science teachers of PSEB schools are familiar with the term \u0026ldquo;scientific temper\u0026rdquo; and its subconstructs, but this is not the case for CBSE schools. In-service TGT science teachers of both PSEB and CBSE believed that science teaching through experiments would be helpful in the development of scientific temper. Still, CBSE teachers have had very few opportunities to attend such training compared to PSEB TGT science teachers. There is no in-service training program for TGT science teachers of both PSEB and CBSE teachers about the scientific temper and its development and measurement in school students. So, this study suggests a need for orientation programs for in-service teachers to evaluate their classroom science teachings in the inculcation of scientific temper.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"Declarations","content":"\u003cp\u003eEthics Approval Statement: This study was reviewed and approved by the CSIR-NIScPR ethics committee under approval number 12-Ethics.NIScPR-CoA/2022. Participant Consent Statement: All participants (or their legal guardians, where applicable) provided informed consent to participate in this study. Where required, consent for publication was also obtained. In cases where the need for consent was waived, this was approved by the ethics committee referenced above.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eAuthor Contribution\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eWe confirm that we have both made substantial contributions to the development of the manuscript titled \u0026ldquo;A Study of Teachers\u0026rsquo; Perception towards Scientific Temper.\u0026rdquo;Ajay Sharma (First Author) was primarily responsible for the conceptualization, design, data collection, analysis, and initial drafting of the manuscript.Dr Puspanjali Tripathy (Second Author) contributed to the critical review, editing, and refinement of the manuscript to ensure academic quality and coherence.Both authors have read and approved the final version of the manuscript and agree to be accountable for its content. We also confirm that there is no conflict of interest associated with this work.\u003c/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003eData Availability\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eAll the Data will be provided on request.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"References","content":"\u003col\u003e\n \u003cli\u003eBajwa S. \u0026amp; Mahajan M. (2012). Scientific attitude scale. \u003cem\u003eAgra: National Psychology Corporation.\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/li\u003e\n \u003cli\u003eBardapurkar, A. (2023). The canvas of science education. \u003cem\u003eContemporary Education Dialogue\u003c/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003e20\u003c/em\u003e(2), 321-330.\u003c/li\u003e\n \u003cli\u003eBhargava, P. M., \u0026amp; Chakrabarti, C. (2010). Angels, devil and science: A collection of articles on scientific temper. New Delhi, India: National Book Trust.\u003c/li\u003e\n \u003cli\u003eDawson, V., \u0026amp; Venville, G. J. (2009). High‐school Students\u0026rsquo; Informal Reasoning and Argumentation about Biotechnology: An indicator of scientific literacy? \u003cem\u003eInternational Journal of Science Education\u003c/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003e31\u003c/em\u003e(11), 1421-1445.\u003c/li\u003e\n \u003cli\u003eGauld, C. F., \u0026amp; Hukins, A. A. (1980). Scientific attitudes: A review. Studies in Science Education, 7(1), 129\u0026ndash;161. https://doi. org/10.1080/03057268008559877\u003c/li\u003e\n \u003cli\u003eHaksar, P. N., Ramanna, R., \u0026amp; Bhargava, P. M. (1981). A statement on scientific temper. \u003cem\u003eThe Nehru Centre\u003c/em\u003e.\u003c/li\u003e\n \u003cli\u003eScheffler, I. (1965). Philosophical models of teaching. \u003cem\u003eHarvard Educational Review\u003c/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003e35\u003c/em\u003e(2), 131-143.\u003c/li\u003e\n \u003cli\u003eSharma, A. (2020, January). Science and scientific temper. In \u003cem\u003eInternational Conference to Review Research in Science, Technology and Mathematics Education January\u003c/em\u003e (pp. 3-6).\u003c/li\u003e\n \u003cli\u003eKumar, V. (2022). Science teaching in schools and scientific temper. In \u003cem\u003eProceedings of the International Conference on Best Innovative Teaching Strategies (ICON-BITS 2021)\u003c/em\u003e.\u003c/li\u003e\n \u003cli\u003eNetto, S. G., \u0026amp; Dominic, P. (2023). Locus of Control and Scientific Temper of Student teachers at the secondary level. \u003cem\u003eInternational Journal of Educational Reform\u003c/em\u003e, 10567879231202474.\u003c/li\u003e\n \u003cli\u003eSupovitz, J., \u0026amp; Turner, H. (2000). The effects of professional development on science teaching practices and classroom culture. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 37(9), 963\u0026ndash;980.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ol\u003e"}],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":true,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":true,"hideJournal":true,"highlight":"","institution":"","isAcceptedByJournal":false,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":false,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":false,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true},"keywords":"","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-6625513/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-6625513/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"\u003cp\u003eA study on teachers' perception of scientific temper is essential as the teachers play a crucial role in students' learning by inculcating scientific temper among them. In this regard, the high school trained graduate teachers (TGT), particularly science teachers' perception and understanding of the term \"scientific temper\" was studied in this article. As a case study of Punjab, India, 672 TGT science teachers teaching classes VI-X are examined via response to the prepared questionnaire. Out of 672 teachers, 525 were from CBSE-affiliated private schools and 147 were from Punjab State Education Board (PSEB) affiliated schools in Punjab. It was inferred from the responses that many teachers of CBSE-affiliated private schools have never heard the word \"scientific temper.\" TGT science teachers generally heard to this word during their bachelor of Education course or in-service training. Many TGT science teachers are also unaware that our constitution includes the term \"scientific temper.\" The existence of the term scientific temper in the Indian Constitution is unknown to around one-fourth of the TGT science teachers participated in the survey. Subconstructs of the Bajwa and Mahajan \u003cspan citationid=\"CR1\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2012\u003c/span\u003e SAS scale, i.e., open-mindedness, curiosity, faith in the scientific method, rationality, and superstition, are used in the questions for TGT science teachers who responded yes to the first question related to scientific temper. Some teachers are conversant with the subconstructs of scientific temper. From the survey, it is found that orientation programs specifically on scientific temper are not included in the designed in-service teacher training programs for both CBSE and PSEB. However, all teachers agree that education aims to inculcate the scientific temper among students.\u003c/p\u003e","manuscriptTitle":"A Study of Teachers’ Perception towards Scientific temper","msid":"","msnumber":"","nonDraftVersions":[{"code":1,"date":"2025-05-13 11:39:00","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-6625513/v1","editorialEvents":[{"type":"communityComments","content":0}],"status":"published","journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true}}],"origin":"","ownerIdentity":"a989e60c-d7b7-474a-8523-861e8768b2d0","owner":[],"postedDate":"May 13th, 2025","published":true,"recentEditorialEvents":[],"rejectedJournal":[],"revision":"","amendment":"","status":"posted","subjectAreas":[],"tags":[],"updatedAt":"2025-06-08T00:38:09+00:00","versionOfRecord":[],"versionCreatedAt":"2025-05-13 11:39:00","video":"","vorDoi":"","vorDoiUrl":"","workflowStages":[]},"version":"v1","identity":"rs-6625513","journalConfig":"researchsquare"},"__N_SSP":true},"page":"/article/[identity]/[[...version]]","query":{"redirect":"/article/rs-6625513","identity":"rs-6625513","version":["v1"]},"buildId":"XKTyCvWXoU3ODBz1xrDgd","isFallback":false,"isExperimentalCompile":false,"dynamicIds":[84888],"gssp":true,"scriptLoader":[]}