Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-8bhkd Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-10T15:12:17.270Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Attitudes and perceptions towards the scientific search for extraterrestrial life among students of public and private universities in Peru

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  30 June 2020

Octavio A. Chon-Torres*
Affiliation:
Programa de Estudios Generales de la Universidad de Lima, Lima, Peru
Julio César Ramos Ramírez
Affiliation:
Programa de Estudios Generales de la Universidad de Lima, Lima, Peru
Fernando Hoyos Rengifo
Affiliation:
Programa de Estudios Generales de la Universidad de Lima, Lima, Peru
Rosana Aurora Choy Vessoni
Affiliation:
Facultad de Psicología, Universidad de Lima, Lima, Peru
Ivan Sergo Laura
Affiliation:
Asociación Peruana de Astrobiología (ASPAST), Lima, Peru
Félix Germán Alfonso Ríos-Ruiz
Affiliation:
Asociación Peruana de Astrobiología (ASPAST), Lima, Peru
César Andreé Murga-Moreno
Affiliation:
Asociación Peruana de Astrobiología (ASPAST), Lima, Peru
José Percy Leonel Alvarado Pino
Affiliation:
Asociación Peruana de Astrobiología (ASPAST), Lima, Peru
Ximena Yance-Morales
Affiliation:
Programa de Estudios Generales de la Universidad de Lima, Lima, Peru
*
Author for correspondence: Octavio A. Chon-Torres, E-mail: ochon@ulima.edu.pe

Abstract

The objective of this study was to identify attitudes towards the scientific search for extraterrestrial life among students from public and private universities in Peru. This research was inspired by similar studies, realized in Sweden, which used the same instrument adapting it to our reality. The process consisted of a survey of the Peruvian student population by targeting it in different regions of Peru. The sample consisted of 1237 students from different academic areas. The findings show that 92% of the students believe in the existence of life outside our planet, with differences between the subgroups surveyed.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s), 2020. Published by Cambridge University Press

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Capova, KA, Persson, E, Milligan, T and Dunér, D (eds) (2018) Astrobiology and Society in Europe Today. Cham: Springer International Publishing.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Chon-Torres, OA (2019) Moral challenges of going to Mars under the presence of non-intelligent life scenario. International Journal of Astrobiology 19, 14. https://doi.org/10.1017/s1473550419000156.Google Scholar
Cooper, KM, Krieg, A and Brownell, SE (2018) Who perceives they are smarter? Exploring the influence of student characteristics on student academic self-concept in physiology. Advances in Physiology Education 4, 200208.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
De Carvalho, M, Matsuo, T and Zaia, DAM (2010) Study on the opinion of university students about the themes of the origin of Universe and evolution of life. International Journal of Astrobiology 9, 109117.Google Scholar
Des Marais, DJ, Nuth, JA III, Allamandola, LJ, Boss, AP, Farmer, JD, Hoehler, TM, Jakosky, BM, Meadows, VS, Pohorille, A, Runnegar, B and Spormann, AM (2008) The NASA astrobiology roadmap. Astrobiology 8, 715730.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Kwok, S (2018) Astrobiology as a medium of science education. In Kolb, VM (ed.), Handbook of Astrobiology. Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press Taylor & Francis Group, pp. 45-48.Google Scholar
Laprise, S and Winrich, C (2010) The impact of science fiction films on student interest in science. Journal of College Science Teaching 4, 4549.Google Scholar
Litzler, E, Samuelson, CC and Lorah, JA (2014) Breaking it down: engineering student STEM confidence at the intersection of race/ethnicity and gender. Research in Science Education 55, 810832.Google Scholar
Persson, E, Capova, KA and Li, Y (2018) Attitudes towards the scientific search for extraterrestrial life among Swedish high school and university students. International Journal of Astrobiology 18, 280288.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Surmeli, H (2012) Examination the effect of science fiction films on science education students’ attitudes towards STS course. Procedia – Social and Behavioral Sciences 47, 10121016.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (1998) Transdisciplinarity. Available at http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0011/001146/114694Eo.pdf.Google Scholar
United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (2010) Current Challenges in Basic Science Education. Available at https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000191425.Google Scholar