Differential Impacts of Religious Cultural Competence on Students' Perceived Conflict with Evolution at an Evangelical University

Autor/inn/en	Barnes, M. Elizabeth; Werner, Ruth; Brownell, Sara E.
Titel	Differential Impacts of Religious Cultural Competence on Students' Perceived Conflict with Evolution at an Evangelical University
Quelle	In: American Biology Teacher, 82 (2020) 2, S.93-101 (9 Seiten)Infoseite zur Zeitschrift PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	0002-7685
Schlagwörter	Evolution; Controversial Issues (Course Content); Christianity; Religion; Undergraduate Students; Biology; Science Instruction; Conflict; Educational Practices; Culturally Relevant Education; Genetics; Religious Colleges; Program Effectiveness; College Faculty; Scientists; Role Models; Beliefs + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Controversial issues; Kontroverse; Christentum; Biologie; Teaching of science; Science education; Natural sciences Lessons; Naturwissenschaftlicher Unterricht; Konflikt; Bildungspraxis; Humangenetik; Fakultät; Scientist; Wissenschaftler; Identifikationsfigur; Belief; Glaube
Abstract	Evolution remains a controversial issue in the United States, particularly for evangelical Christians, who as a group have been a key player in anti-evolution education legislation. Religious cultural competence can be effective in decreasing undergraduate biology students' perceived conflict between religion and evolution. However, the impact on student populations who are particularly resistant to evolution is unknown. We explored the efficacy of culturally competent evolution education practices adapted for biology students in a genetics course at an evangelical Christian university. This included the presence of an instructor as a religious scientist role model who accepts evolution, and the use of the book "The Language of God." We explored how this curriculum affected students' conceptions of religion and evolution using pre- and post-surveys. We found a differential impact of the curriculum: 31% of the students who indicated that there was a conflict between their religious beliefs and evolution changed their conceptions to be more in line with scientific evidence, but the remaining 69% did not. We describe reasons why, including students' perceptions of "The Language of God." This research indicates the challenges of implementing culturally competent evolution education for evangelical students, given their strong commitment to biblical literalism and their lower likelihood of being convinced by scientific evidence for evolution. (As Provided).
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Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2024/1/01