Abstract
Abstract The research study investigated the possible associations among science and biology teachers’ knowledge and belief variables concerning teaching evolution in science and biology classes. Specifically, this study examined how a set of variables including teachers’ understanding of evolution and nature of science (NOS) is related to the set of variables including teachers’ acceptance of evolution and perceptions of teaching evolution (i.e., perceptions of the necessity of addressing evolution in their classrooms, perceptions of the factors that impede addressing evolution in their classrooms, and personal science teaching efficacy beliefs regarding evolution). Data were collected from science and biology teachers through administration of Evolution Content Knowledge Test, Measure of Acceptance of the Theory of Evolution, Nature of Science as Argument Questionnaire and Teachers’ Perceptions of Teaching Evolution Scale. Canonical correlation analysis findings suggested that teachers who had thorough understanding of evolution and NOS were likely to both accept the scientific validity of evolution and believe the necessity of addressing evolution in the classrooms. On the other hand, teachers with thorough understanding of evolution and NOS did not necessarily believe that they have a stronger sense of self-efficacy beliefs regarding teaching evolution and that there are fewer obstacles to addressing evolution in the classroom. The research is significant in that it provides empirical evidence clarifying the interactions between teachers’ understanding and beliefs in teaching evolution. Implications for science teacher education are discussed.
Highlights
The significance of evolution to biological sciences has been recognized by major science and science education organizations including the American Association for the Advancement of Science (2006), National Academy of Sciences (1998), National Association of Biology Teachers (2008), and National Science Teachers Association (2003)
As a central and unifying theme of the biological science (Rutledge and Mitchell 2002), is one of the required topic presented in the Turkish science and biology curriculum
The current study indicated that teachers’ understanding of evolution and nature of science (NOS) is correlated with each of the variables including their acceptance of evolution and perceptions of the necessity of addressing evolution in the classrooms
Summary
The significance of evolution to biological sciences has been recognized by major science and science education organizations including the American Association for the Advancement of Science (2006), National Academy of Sciences (1998), National Association of Biology Teachers (2008), and National Science Teachers Association (2003). The theory of evolution is not well understood by high school students (e.g., Kampourakis and Zogza 2008), undergraduate students (e.g., Alters and Nelson 2002; Peker et al 2010), pre-service teachers (e.g., Akyol et al 2010; Crawford et al 2005; Deniz et al 2008; Graf and Soran 2011), as well as in-service teachers (e.g., Nehm and Reilly 2007). In the first study, Moore and Kraemer (2005) investigated high school biology teachers’ views about teaching of evolution and creationism in the years 1995
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