Abstract

In this research, what primary school 8^th class students think about the genetic studies and what were their views and attitudes concerning these studies were examined.  An information-oriented descriptive survey method was adopted as the research method. The research has been carried out in 12 primary schools which were chosen in 7 provinces of Turkey, from different regions. Schools and provinces were randomly selected for this research. In total, 860 8^th class students, 418 girls and 442 boys, participated in our research. The data obtained were evaluated using the SPSS 14 package program. In order to examine the students’ opinions in depth, semi-structured interviews were also conducted with 5 female students and 5 male students. The data collected for the research were obtained during the school year 2008 to 2009. As a result of the research, the viewpoints of the primary school 8^th class students for the genetic studies were revealed. 59% of the students who participated in the survey said that genetic studies are necessary if used for the right purposes. Also, they stated that genetic studies should further focus on microorganisms.

Key words: Genetic engineering, science and technology education, ethics.