Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Creatures in the Classroom: Preservice Teacher Beliefs About Fantastic Beasts, Magic, Extraterrestrials, Evolution and Creationism

  • Published:
Science & Education Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Faculty have long expressed concern about pseudoscience belief among students. Most US research on such beliefs examines evolution-creation issues among liberal arts students, the general public, and occasionally science educators. Because of their future influence on youth, we examined basic science knowledge and several pseudoscience beliefs among 540 female and 123 male upperclass preservice teachers, comparing them with representative samples of comparably educated American adults. Future teachers resembled national adults on basic science knowledge. Their scores on evolution; creationism; intelligent design; fantastic beasts; magic; and extraterrestrials indices depended on the topic. Exempting science education, preservice teachers rejected evolution, accepting Biblical creation and intelligent design accounts. Sizable minorities “awaited more evidence” about fantastic beasts, magic, or extraterrestrials. Although gender, disciplinary major, grade point average, science knowledge, and two religiosity measures related to beliefs about evolution-creation, these factors were generally unassociated with the other indices. The findings suggest more training is needed for preservice educators in the critical evaluation of material evidence. We also discuss the judicious use of pseudoscience beliefs in such training.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

Notes

  1. Besides the military (84%), teachers (77%) were the most highly rated in contributing “a lot to society’s well-being”, outranking “scientists” (Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life 2009) (70%), medical doctors (69%), and far surpassing lawyers (23%).

  2. This RDD survey of 2001 adults occurred in April and May 2009; a later, related RDD survey in June 2009 surveyed another 1005 adults.

  3. The most publicized opposition to childhood vaccines addresses a proposed link between them and autism, which has been so repeatedly discredited by well-publicized published analyses over the past several years that Lancet retracted its original 1998 article in early 2010 and all but one author previously disavowed it. The evidence now used to support such a link is anecdotal or “intuitive” and lacks scientific verification, although as the Pew study illustrates such a link may still resonate with a sizable minority of Americans.

  4. Following Rosenberg (1968) or Schneider et al. (2007), we assign causal precedence in observational data multivariate analysis to variables occurring earlier in time (e.g., gender; elementary school science knowledge), or of wide cognitive or affective coverage (e.g., self-rated religious importance, see below).

  5. In this study, with the exception of a single question, we cannot directly distinguish between “evolution” and “theistic evolution”, which typically accepts both an old earth and common descent but asserts that God initiated evolutionary processes. Future research should have more items addressing the differences.

References

  • Allum, N., Sturgis, P., Tabourazi, D., & Brunton-Smith, I. (2008). Science knowledge and attitudes across cultures: A meta-analysis. Public Understanding of Science, 17(1), 35–54.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • American Association for the Advancement of Science (2009). Benchmarks for science literacy: A tool for curriculum reform (2nd ed.). http://www.project2061.org/publications/bsl/online/index.php?home=true Accessed 19 December 2009.

  • Berkman, M. B., Pacheco, J. S., & Plutzer, E. (2008). Evolution and creationism in America’s classrooms: A national portrait. PLoS Biology, 6(5), e124. doi:10.1371/journal.pbio.0060124. Accessed 26 February 2010.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Binder, A. (2007). Gathering intelligence on intelligent design: Where did it come from, where is it going, and how should progressives manage it? American Journal of Education, 113, 549–576.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chancey, M. A. (2007). Reading, writing & religion: Teaching the Bible in Texas public schools. Texas Freedom Network Education Fund 1–76.

  • Clément, P., & Quessada, M. P. (2008). Les convictions créationnistes et/ou évolutionnistes d’enseignants de biologie: Une étude comparative dans dix-neuf pays. [Beliefs of creationist and/or evolutionist biology teachers: A comparative study in 19 countries.]. Natures Sciences Sociétés, 16, 154–158.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Clément, P., & Quessada, M. P. (2009). Creationist beliefs in Europe. Science, 324, 1644.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Davis, J. A., & Smith, T. W. (2009). General Social Surveys, 1972–2008. Chicago: National Opinion Research Center and Storrs, CT: The Roper Center for Public Opinion Research, University of Connecticut (distributor).

    Google Scholar 

  • Eve, R. A., & Dunn, D. (1990). Psychic powers, astrology and creationism in the classroom? Evidence of pseudoscientific beliefs among high school biology and life science teachers. The American Biology Teacher, 52(1), 10–21.

    Google Scholar 

  • Feder, K. L. (1984). Irrationality and popular archaeology. American Antiquity, 49(3), 525–541.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fiske, S. T., & Taylor, S. E. (1991). Social cognition (2nd ed.). Guilford, CT: McGraw Hill.

    Google Scholar 

  • Good, R. (2005). Scientific and religious habits of mind: Irreconcilable tensions in the curriculum. New York: Peter Lang Publishing.

    Google Scholar 

  • Goode, E. (2002). Education, scientific knowledge, and belief in the paranormal. Skeptical Inquirer, 26(1), 24–27.

    Google Scholar 

  • Harrold, F., & Eve, R. A. (Eds.). (1987). Cult archaeology and creationism. Iowa: University of Iowa Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Holden, C. (1987). Textbook controversy intensifies nationwide. Science, 235(4784), 19–21.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jones, J. E. (2007). Our Constitution’s intelligent design. Litigation, 33(3), 3–6. 57.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kahneman, D., Slovic, P., & Tversky, A. (Eds.). (1982). Judgment under uncertainty: Heuristics and biases. New York: Cambridge University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Losh, S. C. (2003). On the application of social cognition and social location to creating causal explanatory structures. Educational Research Quarterly, 26(3), 17–33.

    Google Scholar 

  • Losh, S. C., Tavani, C. M., Njoroge, R., Wilke, R., & McAuley, M. (2003). What does education really do? Educational dimensions and pseudoscience support in the American general public, 1979–2001. The Skeptical Inquirer, 27(5), 30–35.

    Google Scholar 

  • Martin, M. (1994). Pseudoscience, the paranormal, and science education. Science & Education, 3, 357–371.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mellor, F. (2003). Between fact and fiction: Demarcating science from non-science in popular physics books. Social Studies of Science, 33(4), 509–538.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Miller, J. D. (2010). The sources and impact of civic scientific literacy. In M. W. Bauer, R. Shukla, & N. Allum (Eds.), The culture of science: How does the public relate to science across the globe?. NY: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Miller, J. D., & Kimmel, L. (1998). Science and technology: Public attitudes and public understanding. Chapter 7 (1–22) in National Science Board, Science & engineering indicators—1998. Arlington, VA: National Science Foundation (NSB98–1).

    Google Scholar 

  • National Science Board. (2008). Science & engineering indicators 2008. Arlington, VA: National Science Foundation (NSB-08–01).

    Google Scholar 

  • Nelson, C. (2000). Effective strategies for teaching evolution and other controversial topics. In J. Skehan & C. Nelson (Eds.), The creation controversy and the science classroom. Arlington, VA: National Science Teachers Association.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pennock, R. (2002). Should creationism be taught in the public schools? Science & Education, 11, 111–133.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life. (Pew 2009). Many Americans mix multiple faiths: Eastern, New Age beliefs widespread. Washington, DC: Pew Research Center. http://pewforum.org/docs/?DocID=490#1 Accessed 21 April 2010.

  • Pew Research Center for the People and the Press Pew (2009). A survey conducted in collaboration with the American Association for the Advancement of Science. http://people-press.org/report/528/ Accessed 10 July 2009.

  • Plutzer, E., & Berkman, M. (2008). The polls—trends: Evolution, creationism and the teaching of human origins in schools. Public Opinion Quarterly, 72(3), 540–553.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pratkanis, A. R. (1992). The Cargo-Cult science of subliminal persuasion. Skeptical Inquirer, 16(3). http://www.csicop.org/si/9204/subliminal-persuasion.html. Accessed 28 June 2009.

  • Pratkanis, A. R. (1995). How to sell a pseudoscience. Skeptical Inquirer, 19, 19–25.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rosenberg, M. (1968). The logic of survey analysis. New York: Basic Books.

    Google Scholar 

  • Schneider, B., Carnoy, M., Kilpatrick, J., Schmidt, W. H., & Shavelson, R. J. (2007). Estimating causal effects using experimental and observational designs: A think tank white paper. Washington, DC: American Educational Research Association.

    Google Scholar 

  • Skoog, G. (1984). The coverage of evolution in high school biology textbooks published in the 1980s. Science Education, 68, 117–128.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Specter, M. (2009). Denialism. New York: Penguin Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Stanovich, K. E. (2001). The vividness problem. In M. Davis (Ed.), Annual editions: Social psychology (pp. 34–37). Guilford, CT: McGraw-Hill/Duskin.

    Google Scholar 

  • Stempien, R., & Coleman, S. (1985). Processes of persuasion: The case of creation science. Review of religious research, 27(2), 169–177.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Taylor, J., Eve, R. A., & Harrold, F. B. (1995). Why creationists don’t go to psychic fairs. Skeptical Inquirer, 19(6), 23–28.

    Google Scholar 

  • Trefil, J. (2008). Why science?. New York: Teachers College Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Verhey, S. (2005). The effect of engaging prior learning on student attitudes toward creationism and evolution. BioScience, 55, 996–1003.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wicker, C. (2003). Lily Dale: The true story of the town that talks to the dead. New York: Harper Collins Publishers.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wicker, C. (2005). Not in Kansas any more: A curious tale of how magic is transforming America. New York: Harper Collins Publishers.

    Google Scholar 

  • Willingham, D. T. (2007). Critical thinking: Why is it so hard to teach? American Educator, 31(2), 8–19.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

This research was funded in part through an American Educational Research Association grant REC-0310268, National Science Foundation grant 0532943 and the National Science Foundation Division of Materials Research through DMR-0654118. Thanks also to Raymond Eve, Ken Feder, Ryan Wilke, Alice Robbin, Martin Bauer, Bob Bell, Jaqui Falkenheim, Nick Allum, and several reviewers for insight, greater clarity and assistance.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Educational Psychology and Learning Systems, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL, 32306-4453, USA

    Susan Carol Losh & Brandon Nzekwe

Authors
  1. Susan Carol Losh
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Brandon Nzekwe
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Susan Carol Losh.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Losh, S.C., Nzekwe, B. Creatures in the Classroom: Preservice Teacher Beliefs About Fantastic Beasts, Magic, Extraterrestrials, Evolution and Creationism. Sci & Educ 20, 473–489 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11191-010-9268-5

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11191-010-9268-5

Keywords

Search

Navigation