A study was conducted to determine the awareness and perception of biotechnology focusing on genetically modified foods among public secondary school science and technical vocational teachers in Guyana. A questionnair...A study was conducted to determine the awareness and perception of biotechnology focusing on genetically modified foods among public secondary school science and technical vocational teachers in Guyana. A questionnaire was administered to 228 randomly selected teachers of 42 schools in six administrative regions of Guyana, representing about 90% of the population. The results revealed that there was a low level of awareness among the teachers： those who were knowledgeable about the subject were mainly Biology, Agricultural Science and Integrated Science teachers. Most teachers （almost 90%） indicated that the public is not receiving adequate information about genetically-modified foods and opined that the television should be the main medium to provide information. The study also revealed that teachers felt that ethical, religious and social issues should be considered when applying the technology. This view did not vary based on qualifications, years in the profession or subjects taught. Genetic modification was more acceptable to plant-based than animal-based foods, although they seemed ambivalent as to whether genetically modified foods can be harmful to their health. The implications of these findings are that more teachers in various subject areas should be informed about emerging issues in sciences to enable them to better analyze the subject matter, transfer information to the students, and form attitudes and opinions based on facts.展开更多
文摘A study was conducted to determine the awareness and perception of biotechnology focusing on genetically modified foods among public secondary school science and technical vocational teachers in Guyana. A questionnaire was administered to 228 randomly selected teachers of 42 schools in six administrative regions of Guyana, representing about 90% of the population. The results revealed that there was a low level of awareness among the teachers： those who were knowledgeable about the subject were mainly Biology, Agricultural Science and Integrated Science teachers. Most teachers （almost 90%） indicated that the public is not receiving adequate information about genetically-modified foods and opined that the television should be the main medium to provide information. The study also revealed that teachers felt that ethical, religious and social issues should be considered when applying the technology. This view did not vary based on qualifications, years in the profession or subjects taught. Genetic modification was more acceptable to plant-based than animal-based foods, although they seemed ambivalent as to whether genetically modified foods can be harmful to their health. The implications of these findings are that more teachers in various subject areas should be informed about emerging issues in sciences to enable them to better analyze the subject matter, transfer information to the students, and form attitudes and opinions based on facts.
