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EVOLUTION IN THE SOUTHEASTERN USA: FACTORS INFLUENCING ACCEPTANCE AND REJECTION IN PRE-SERVICE SCIENCE TEACHERS

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Abstract

Evolution continues to be a controversial topic around the world but nowhere is this more apparent locally than in the Southeastern region of the USA. In this study, we explored acceptance and rejection of evolution among pre-service science teachers in a teaching college in the rural Southeast and sought to determine (1) what relationships exist between the worldview variables and acceptance of evolution among pre-service secondary science teachers? and (2) Which combination of these variables explains the most statistically significant amount of variance in acceptance of evolution among pre-service secondary science teachers? Regression analysis was used to determine the best-fit model predicting levels of acceptance in this sample, explaining 45 % of variance in acceptance of evolution in 4 variables. The result of this study sheds light on possible remediation for low acceptance of evolution and directions for improved preparation of future science teachers relative to teaching and learning evolution.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. The University of Alabama, Graves Hall, Box 870232, Tuscaloosa, AL, 35487, USA

    Amanda L. Glaze, M. Jenice Goldston & John Dantzler

  2. Jacksonville State University, 700 Pelham Road North, Jacksonville, AL, 36265, USA

    Amanda L. Glaze

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  1. Amanda L. Glaze
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  2. M. Jenice Goldston
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Correspondence to Amanda L. Glaze.

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Glaze, A.L., Goldston, M.J. & Dantzler, J. EVOLUTION IN THE SOUTHEASTERN USA: FACTORS INFLUENCING ACCEPTANCE AND REJECTION IN PRE-SERVICE SCIENCE TEACHERS. Int J of Sci and Math Educ 13, 1189–1209 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10763-014-9541-1

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