The Importance of Understanding the Nature of Science for Accepting Evolution

Abstract

Many students reject evolutionary theory, whether or not they adequately understand basic evolutionary concepts. We explore the hypothesis that accepting evolution is related to understanding the nature of science. In particular, students may be more likely to accept evolution if they understand that a scientific theory is provisional but reliable, that scientists employ diverse methods for testing scientific claims, and that relating data to theory can require inference and interpretation. In a study with university undergraduates, we find that accepting evolution is significantly correlated with understanding the nature of science, even when controlling for the effects of general interest in science and past science education. These results highlight the importance of understanding the nature of science for accepting evolution. We conclude with a discussion of key characteristics of science that challenge a simple portrayal of the scientific method and that we believe should be emphasized in classrooms.

What’s the Matter with Kansas?: The Development and Confirmation of the Evolutionary Attitudes and Literacy Survey (EALS)

“…Though several interesting measurement tools exist (e.g., Rutledge and Warden 1999;Rutledge and Sadler 2007;Aikenhead and Ryan 1992;Siegel and Ranney 2003;Lombrozo et al 2008;Johnson and Peeples 1987;Miller et al 2006), to date, the present survey represents the most comprehensive attempt to incorporate a broad array of explanatory variables of theoretical importance.…”

“…Exposure to Evolutionary Theory Research has shown that those who seek information about evolutionary theory may in fact know more about it and accordingly hold more positive attitudes (Lombrozo et al 2008). Natural history museums, for example, function in part to teach the public about evolution (Diamond and Evans 2007).…”

“…For example, conservative Christian denominations are less accepting than more liberal denominations (Scott 2004). In addition to assessing participants' qualitative religious affiliation (identity), we also queried them about how active they are in their spiritual behavior (e.g., frequency of prayer and service attendance), previously documented to be negatively associated with knowledge of and attitudes toward evolution (e.g., Lombrozo et al 2008).…”

Evolutionary Attitudes and Literacy Survey (EALS): Development and Validation of a Short Form

“…This literature suggests that (a) individuals who seek exposure to evolutionary theory (e.g., in coursework or museum visits) demonstrate greater knowledge and report more positive attitudes toward the theory than those who do not seek exposure (e.g., Lombrozo et al 2008;McFadden et al 2007), (b) religious identity and political ideology enhance or impede the seeking of such knowledge (e.g., genetic literacy; Scott 2004;Miller et al 2006;Paterson and Rossow 1999), and (c) knowledge of scientific epistemology is positively associated with both evolutionary knowledge and attitudes about its relevance (Hawley et al 2011). Until recently, no suitable comprehensive measure existed to assess curricular effectiveness, attitude change, or descriptions of regional populations.…”

Diversification du vivant sans modification du génome : enjeux didactiques et épistémologiques

“…À ce titre, les travaux en didactique des SVT menés par Orange-Ravachol (2010) [21] sur la problématisation du temps et son irréversibilité pointent du doigt la nécessité de dépasser le principe explicatif de l'actualisme pour intégrer le principe de contingence historique. D'autres travaux soulignent les limites d'un enseignement uniquement focalisé sur le contenu scientifique, en particulier, quand il s'agit de faire face à la controverse créationnisme versus évolutionnisme (Lombroso, Thanukos et Weisber, 2008;Pigliucci, 2007) [22,23]. Ces travaux témoignent, à des degrés divers, de la difficulté qu'ont les élèves à conjuguer et à naviguer entre l'explication fonctionnaliste et l'explication historique de la diversification du vivant.…”