University Students’ Knowledge and
Attitude about Genetic Engineering
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Gazi Üniversitesi, Ankara, TURKEY
Publication date: 2007-06-22
EURASIA J. Math., Sci Tech. Ed 2007;3(2):119-126
KEYWORDS
ABSTRACT
Genetic engineering and biotechnology made possible of gene transfer without
discriminating microorganism, plant, animal or human. However, although these scientific
techniques have benefits, they cause arguments because of their ethical and social impacts.
The arguments about ethical ad social impacts of biotechnology made clear that not only
getting basic knowledge about biotechnology and genetic engineering, also ethical and
social issues must be thought in the schools, because the level of knowledge and the
attitudes of new generation is very important for the society. So, in this study it is tried to
determine the university students’, level of knowledge about genetic engineering and their
attitude towards genetic engineering applications. For determining the students’ level of
knowledge and attitude about genetic engineering, a questionnaire, which include 2 open
ended questions and Likert type attitude scale with 12 statements, is given to students and
wanted to answer. Answers of the open ended questions in the questionnaire are subjected
to content analysis and students’ level of knowledge about this field is tried to determine.
The statements in attitude scale with 12 subject is grouped under 3 titles; and to evaluate
the answers to the statements in attitude scale, percentage values and group
differentiations are calculated by SPSS. The results have shown that students do not have
sufficient knowledge about basic principles of genetic engineering and their attitudes
towards the applications change according to species of organisms and the objective of the
study.