Abstract
We analysed the potential differences between the conceptions of Serbian pre-service and in-service teachers using controlled parameters such as acceptance of the evolution theory. Our sample includes Primary School teachers as well as Secondary School teachers of Biology and of Language. We show that the ideas of pre-service (PreB) and in-service biology teachers (InB) are more evolutionary than those of their colleagues. In contrast, most creationist responses came from the groups of pre-service language (PreL) and pre-service primary teachers (PreP). The agnostic teachers are more evolutionist than other teachers. The more a teacher believes in God and practices religion, the more creationist he or she is, but a great number of teachers who believe in God are evolutionist or simultaneously evolutionist and creationist. There is a positive correlation between evolutionist answers and the attitude that ?Science and religion should be separated?, and ?religion and politics should be separated?.
Highlights
Evolution is a central theory in the field of biology
American biology teachers think it is crucial that students learn biological evolution without questioning their personal and community values or world vision, which might be in opposition to evolutionary theory (Meadows et al, 2000)
The study points to the importance of preparation by biology teachers of programmes intended to develop a comprehensive understanding of evolution and the nature of science in their students
Summary
Evolution is a central theory in the field of biology. Today, nothing in biology can be thought about without an evolutionary perspective. While there are recent international works reporting on teachers’ understanding of evolution (Clément, 2013, 2014; Clément and Quessada, 2009, 2013, 2014; Clément et al 2013), very little is known about the acceptance by Serbian pre-service and in-service teachers of the evolution theory and controlled parameters such as religion, values and political views. The work followed the criteria established in the European FP6-STREP project Biohead-Citizen (Carvalho et al, 2004, 2008) For this purpose and to analyze differences in teachers’ conceptions about evolution with regard to several influential parameters: religion, political view, values and teachers’ academic degrees, we applied the Serbian version of the Biohead-Citizen questionnaire to pre-teachers and in-service teachers from Serbia
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