Fifth-grade Students’ Science Competencies – An Opportunity to Rethink Further Education for Science Competence

This paper deals with the science competences of fifth-grade students (ages 10 and 11 years) in Slovenia. The science content researched in this study comprises chemical concepts, such as aqueous solutions, states of matter, and nutrition. The science competence and science competencies that elementary school students are supposed to develop are defined. In the following, the concept of attitude towards science and its role in the construct of science competence is explained. The three components of science competencies of the 10- and 11-year-old students were measured using a knowledge test to cover content and procedural knowledge and a questionnaire to measure the attitude of students towards science. The findings reveal that procedural knowledge is the least developed among students. It is also confirmed that attitude components have an important role in interpreting overall science competency test achievements. In the conclusion, the holistic view of the development of science competencies (knowledge, skills, and attitude) is emphasised. Further study of the attitudes towards science in relation to science competence development in a broader way is suggested.