Learners were given a pre- and post-instruction survey and concept mapping task, and a sample of learners were interviewed after instruction. 38 Table 2.1: Results of the variance equality test of the variance equality test on the.
Introduction 1
Introduction 1
- Focus of the Study 1
- Motivation and Rationale 1
This particular version of the curriculum did not include aspects of evolution in the Life Science curriculum for grades 10 and 11. Conceptual changes that occur in the classroom can disrupt belief systems and cultural norms.
Review of Related Literature 5
The study surveyed South African student teachers and the results showed that the majority of participants rejected the theory of evolution and also indicated that they were religious. Asghar et al., (2007) found that there is a need to develop a better understanding of the basic concepts of evolution and to foster a positive attitude towards evolutionary science among Canadian teachers as well.
Key Research Questions 14
All of the factors mentioned affect how students experience evolution in the classroom and ultimately have an effect on how they learn evolution. Only when we understand how students learn evolution and how religious and cultural aspects play a role in learning can we improve how teachers teach evolution.
Conceptual / Theoretical Framework 15
16 model emphasizes the importance of learners' conceptual ecologies and the role they play in conceptual change. 18 Collateral learning offers an alternative to the conceptual change model as a way of describing learning (Herbert, 2008).
Research Paradigm and Methodology 20
Pragmatic researchers use both quantitative and qualitative data because they work to provide the best understanding of a research problem (Creswell, 2009) i.e. Likewise, the inclusion of qualitative data can help explain relationships discovered through quantitative data (Leech, 2005).
Research Design and Method 24
A Pearson correlation was conducted to identify potential relationships between pre- and post-survey questions. Less than 30% of students had scientific views on both of these questions in the pre- and post-survey. 44 non-scientific views on the concept in question; and those students who scored 3 or 4 in the pre- and post-surveys, i.e.
There is a noticeable difference in the included content between the pre and post concept cards. There is a clear shift in concepts included in the pre and post concept maps for students from all groups, ie. however, the high pre- and post-survey scores are not reflected in the concept maps.
This change in attitude among the students is clearly shown in the results before and after the survey. Some of these students showed a poor understanding of evolution in the explanations they included in their concept maps and the additional Q questionnaire. The table shows the students' superficial understanding of evolution and the emphasis they placed on human evolution in the pre-concept maps.
Concept Mapping 24
15 Item Survey 25
Extra Questions Questionnaire 28
Interviews 29
Teacher Tasks 34
Results 37
Quantitative Results 37
- Pre and Post Survey Results 37
Question 12, based on religious/cultural understanding, had the least students with scientific understanding before and after the survey. Less than half of the students accepted the scientific understanding before and after the survey for all religious/cultural issues. Questions 4, 5, 7, and 14 show that fewer students have science understanding in the post-survey than in the pre-survey.
The results in table 2.3 show that there is no significant difference in the mean scores of scientific knowledge before and after the survey, religion and supernatural questions (p>0.05). The ANOVA results show that there is a significant difference between the mean scores (F= p<0.001) in both the pre- and post-survey.
Qualitative Results 54
- Concept map Results 54
- Extra Questions Questionnaire 61
- Interviews 67
- Additional Learner Paragraphs 76
- Teacher Results 79
- Examples of Learner grouping 81
Students from group 4 reject macroevolution, do not believe that natural selection is true, see evolution as incompatible with religious beliefs, and think that evolution should not be included in the school curriculum. In supplementary questionnaire Q she accepts macroevolution, believes that natural selection is true, finds evolution incompatible with religious beliefs, and thinks that evolution should be taught in the classroom. 83 rejects macroevolution, does not believe that natural selection is real, finds evolution incompatible with religious beliefs, and thinks that evolution should not be included in the curriculum.
In the additional Q questionnaire, student 23 rejects macroevolution, does not believe that natural selection is true, considers evolution incompatible with religious beliefs, and that it should not be included in the curriculum. How much time during the school year do you devote to the subject of evolution.
Discussion 85
Finding a School 85
Two of the three schools approached did not want to be involved in the study because of the nature of the study, meaning both schools referred to evolution as a controversial topic and thought parents would be upset by the investigation. One of the schools admitted that they spent as little time as possible on this topic and tried to avoid drawing unnecessary attention to it.
Both schools also said that if the topic of the study did not involve evolution, they would have agreed to the investigation taking place at their schools. The third school agreed with the investigation and was pleased that their students would be exposed to "the real thing".
The Learner Groups 85
With this in mind, it is interesting that teacher B has a much higher percentage of students in group 4 than teacher A, while teacher A has a higher percentage of students in group 2 than teacher B. This may be due to by chance or due to the influence of teachers or peers in the classroom. This suggests that teachers and the way they teach have an effect on students' attitudes towards what they are taught.
According to the statistics collected in this study, the teacher has no effect on conceptual change and knowledge gained. The notion that teachers can have an influence on students' attitudes toward evolution, however, will be explored and addressed later in this chapter.
Survey Shows a Positive Trend 87
Conflict for Religious Learners 87
All religious students in group 4 and 5 of the 6 students in group 5 indicated that the theory of evolution is incompatible with religious beliefs. This means that students with strong religious beliefs must find their own beliefs questionable in order to find evolution plausible. One misconception students have is that they compare ideas about evolution to religious beliefs.
This is in line with Cavallo and McCall (2008) and Blackwell et al., (2003) who found that the purpose of teaching evolution should not be to change one's personal beliefs or to make a choice between accepting the theory of evolution and their religious beliefs. Additional student paragraphs, survey scores, and interviews reveal that religious students are reluctant to learn about evolution and resist changing their religious beliefs, especially if it means replacing one with another.
A Cultural / Religious Overlap & Learners’ response to the Main Concepts of
Students are more comfortable learning about evolution if they do not have to compare religious beliefs with scientific concepts (Stears, 2011). This explains why students do not have to give up their personal religious beliefs to understand or accept the theory of evolution. The prospect of an overlap between religious belief and evolution appears not only from the survey, but also from the additional Q questionnaire.
This may be due to the idea that students feel that if they find any part of evolution plausible, they take away the plausibility of their own religious beliefs (a feeling of guilt that they are questioning their beliefs and what they believe at home/in the church). ). 93 between their religious beliefs and evolution and often use a coping strategy such as remaining silent, avoiding or often becoming hostile and vocal in the classroom.
Learner Attitude Towards Evolution 93
This is where much of the resistance to learning about evolution comes from religious as well as non-religious students. The primitive nature of the understanding shown by the 12th grade students in the current study may be due to a lack of exposure to evolution and its basic concepts. This change to the curriculum should reduce the hostility that teachers often experience in the classroom of 12th graders toward evolution because students will already understand some of the core concepts and principles of evolutionary theory.
The negative attitude we experienced during the first school visit was absent during the second school visit. Finding this, the majority of students (60%), both religious and non-religious, agreed that evolution should be included in the school curriculum.
Evolution is Boring? 94
Students in grades 4 and 5 felt the same way, finding at least some of the evolution uninteresting. Blackwell et al., (2003) and Stears (2011) suggest that students need time to develop an understanding and ultimately a degree of acceptance of evolution. This means that teachers need to be aware of the time it takes for acceptance of evolution to “grow” in students and play the role of “seed planters” for this acceptance.
What teachers do in the classroom can therefore influence students' understanding and acceptance of evolution in the years to come. Watching documentaries, visiting museums, and participating in practical and hands-on classroom activities all help students develop a better understanding of evolution (Stears, 2011).
Learning, Understanding and FATIMA’S rules 96
The Rules of Fatima at this point should be considered an explanation of how some students approach learning about evolution. The rules of Fatima apply to students who often have no interest in the content being taught. That is, students playing the Rules of Fatima do not demonstrate a clear understanding of key concepts and avoid providing explanations and linking concepts in concept maps.
The rules of Fatima are based on memorizing key concepts (headings and bold words), tables, graphs and summaries. Ultimately, all groups (except group 1) contained students playing the Rules of Fatima, with groups 2 and 3 having the highest percentage of these students.
Evolution is Just a Theory 97
Students who do this can produce quite high survey scores, and teachers thus assume that students have a good understanding of the content being taught. Common use of the term "theory" outside the scientific community implies that a theory is speculative, that it is merely a "guess". Blackwell et al., (2003) assert: to regard evolution as "just a theory" shows a misunderstanding of the nature of a scientific theory.
According to the results, this incorrect use of the term “theory” had a negative effect on students' attitudes toward learning about and accepting evolution. 100 concepts that we should focus on when improving the quality of education, as well as improving teachers' ability to deal with conflict and improving teachers' understanding of the nature of science.
How Learners Learn Evolution 100
This study also highlighted the idea that conceptual change theory is not sufficient to explain how students learn evolution. Students' backgrounds, culture, and religious beliefs are the most important factors influencing conceptual changes when learning evolution. The more time spent on evolutionary theory, the greater the conceptual change and acceptance of the theory that students develop.
Finally, this study also found that conceptual change does not explain how all students learn evolution. In particular, I examine the conceptual change of students' ideas when evolution is taught, and the influences that influence this conceptual change. In particular, I examine the conceptual change of students' ideas when evolution is taught, and the influences that influence this conceptual change.
This study also highlights the idea that conceptual change theory is not sufficient to explain how all students learn evolution.
Conclusion 107
Flow chart illustrating possible movement between learner groups. 106
