Abstract

The use of different biotechnological applications has grown immensely over the previous years to almost double the industry’s size. There has been significant attention directed to the potential of the biotechnology industry and its imminent role in ensuring a country’s development. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) is one of many countries planning to employ biotechnologies as a means of reaching a high-income economy. This study investigated the knowledge and perceptions of a cohort of 178 university students from around the KSA on biotechnology applications. The study showed that the majority, 50%, agreed that they had information about biotechnology and its application. Many respondents (43.8%) agreed with the biotechnology practices and activities. There was a significant positive correlation between the knowledge and perception of the students (χ² =34.54, ρ=0.0001). The majority of the respondents acknowledged that biotechnology was essential for enhancing the students’ perception and improving biotechnology activities. The responses demonstrated the attitudes and beliefs (which have a great influence on the personal decisions of individuals) of current students, who eventually will be policy-makers, leaders and consumers, and will generally represent the future society of the country. Consequently, the study allowed to suggest creating awareness and increasing the influence of this topic to all stakeholders. There is a need for educators and curriculum developers to emphasize the significance of biotechnology. In addition to the importance of positioning the applications of this field in the public sphere, due to its supporting role in the country’s scientific progress and economic growth.

摘要

不同生物技术应用的使用在过去几年中大幅增长，几乎使该行业的规模翻了一番。生物技术产业的潜力及其在确保国家发展方面的迫在眉睫的作用受到了极大的关注。沙特阿拉伯王国 (KSA) 是计划采用生物技术作为实现高收入经济体的手段的众多国家之一。本研究调查了来自沙特阿拉伯周边地区的 178 名大学生对生物技术应用的知识和看法。研究表明，大多数人（50%）同意他们掌握有关生物技术及其应用的信息。许多受访者 (43.8%) 同意生物科技的做法和活动。²=34.54，ρ=0.0001)。大部分回应者承认生物科技对提升学生的认知及改善生物科技活动至为重要。这些回答展示了在校学生的态度和信念（对个人的个人决定有很大影响），他们最终将成为政策制定者、领导者和消费者，并普遍代表国家未来社会。因此，该研究允许建议提高该主题对所有利益相关者的认识并增加其影响力。教育工作者和课程开发者需要强调生物技术的重要性。除了将这一领域的应用定位在公共领域的重要性之外，由于其在国家科学进步和经济增长中的支持作用。