EFFECT OF ACADEMIC DEGREE AND DISCIPLINE ON RELIGIOUS BELIEFS AND EVOLUTION ACCEPTANCE: SURVEY AT A CHILEAN UNIVERSITY

César Marín; Guillermo DʾElía

doi:10.1111/zygo.12258

EFFECT OF ACADEMIC DEGREE AND DISCIPLINE ON RELIGIOUS BELIEFS AND EVOLUTION ACCEPTANCE: SURVEY AT A CHILEAN UNIVERSITY

Zygon® ◽

10.1111/zygo.12258 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 51 (2) ◽

pp. 277-292 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

César Marín ◽

Guillermo DʾElía

Keyword(s):

Religious Beliefs ◽

Evolution Acceptance ◽

Academic Degree

Download Full-text

Using a Reconciliation Module Leads to Large Gains in Evolution Acceptance

CBE—Life Sciences Education ◽

10.1187/cbe.19-04-0080 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 18 (4) ◽

pp. ar58 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

John Lindsay ◽

Adhieu Arok ◽

Seth M. Bybee ◽

Walter Cho ◽

April Maskiewicz Cordero ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Religious Belief ◽

Religious Beliefs ◽

Religious Affiliation ◽

Effective Means ◽

Evolution Acceptance ◽

Religiously Affiliated ◽

Theory Of Evolution ◽

University Teachers ◽

Entry Level ◽

Before And After

Too many students reject the theory of evolution because they view it as incompatible with their religious beliefs. Some have argued that abandoning religious belief is the only way to help religious individuals accept evolution. Conversely, our data support that highlighting faith/evolution compatibility is an effective means to increase student acceptance. We surveyed students enrolled in entry-level biology courses at four religiously affiliated institutions. At each university, teachers gave students a presentation that demonstrated potential compatibility between evolution and faith within the teachings of each university’s respective religious affiliation. Students were asked to evaluate their own beliefs about evolution both before and after this instruction. After instruction at each university, students showed significant gains in evolution acceptance without abandoning their religious beliefs. These results demonstrate that giving religious students the opportunity to reconcile their religious beliefs with the theory of evolution under the influence of intentional instruction on the compatibility of belief and evolution can lead to increased evolution acceptance among religious students.

Download Full-text