Investigation of middle school students' scientific values, science identity and environmental attitudes and stem interests

The aim of this study is to determine middle school students' values of science, science identity, and environmental attitudes, and to examine their relationship with interest in STEM through correlational research. Additionally, it will be examined whether the data collected from middle school students for the two variables show a significant difference according to gender and grade level variables. In the research, based on the positivist philosophy, correlation analysis, one of the quantitative design methods, will be applied to the data. The scales were administered to a total of 253 students studying in two different middle schools during the 2023-2024 academic year, and the Cronbach Alpha value of the scale was found to be .82. The findings from the application of DFA to the three-factor structure of the original scale were consistent. The data obtained from the study groups were analyzed, and according to the findings obtained (χ^2/df=2.860), the model showed good fit with CFI (.880), RMSEA (.086), NFI (.830), GFI (.918), and AGFI (.870) values being at an acceptable level. It can be said that the model emerging as a result of the DFA process is consistent with the theoretical structure of the original scale. In the study, the relationship between the scale we adapted and the scale adapted by Kıran (2021) was examined using correlational analysis, and a moderate positive relationship was found for middle school students (r(253)=.642). When the averages of the adapted scale in middle school groups were examined, no significant difference was found according to gender variables, but a significant difference was found in the adapted scale and interest scale according to grade level. It was seen that there are publications in the literature that support these findings.