الفضول المعرفي وعلاقته بالاتجاه نحو تعاطي المخدرات لدى طلبة المرحلة الإعدادية

Rp-The Epistemic Curiosity and Its Relationship to Attitudes Toward Drug Abuse Among Preparatory School Students".pdf

The present study aimed to identify the following:
1. The level of epistemic curiosity among preparatory school students.
2. The attitudes toward drug abuse among preparatory school students.
3. The correlational relationship between epistemic curiosity and attitudes toward drug abuse among preparatory school student’s
4. The difference in the relationship between epistemic curiosity and attitudes toward drug abuse according to gender (males–females).
5. The extent to which epistemic curiosity contributes to predicting attitudes toward drug abuse using linear regression.
The study sample consisted of 400 male and female preparatory school students in the center of Karbala Governorate, selected through a stratified random sampling method for the academic year 2024/2025.
To achieve the study objectives, the researcher:
1. Adopted the Epistemic Curiosity Scale based on Slater’s theory (Slater, 2009), translated by Issa (2020), and verified its psychometric properties. The reliability coefficient was Cronbach’s alpha = 0.896, and test–retest reliability reached 0.850.
2. Constructed a scale to measure attitudes toward drug abuse, and verified its validity and reliability. Cronbach’s alpha reached 0.88, and test–retest reliability reached 0.91.
Appropriate statistical methods were employed, including Pearson’s correlation coefficient, the independent samples t-test, and regression analysis. The results indicated the following:
1. Preparatory school students demonstrated epistemic curiosity, indicating an active cognitive motivation at this developmental stage.
2. Students expressed a positive attitude toward drug abuse.
3. A statistically significant correlational relationship was found between epistemic curiosity and attitudes toward drug abuse.
4. No statistically significant differences were found in the relationship between epistemic curiosity and attitudes toward drug abuse according to gender (males–females), indicating that the nature of the relationship between the two variables is similar for both genders.
Based on these findings, the researcher recommended:
1. Involving families and educational counselors in following up on and guiding students toward positive behaviors.
The researcher also suggested:
1. Examining the relationship between attitudes toward drug abuse and indicators of psychological and social adjustment among adolescents.