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Factors Potentially Influencing Student Acceptance of Biological Evolution NOTE TO USERS This reproduction is the best copy available. UMI* Factors Potentially Influencing Student Acceptance of Biological Evolution Jason R. Wiles Department of Integrated Studies in Education McGill University Montreal, Quebec, Canada April 2008 A thesis submitted to McGill University in partial fulfillment of the requirements of the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. © Jason R. Wiles, 2008 Library and Archives Bibliotheque et 1*1 Canada Archives Canada Published Heritage Direction du Branch Patrimoine de I'edition 395 Wellington Street 395, rue Wellington Ottawa ON K1A 0N4 OttawaONK1A0N4 Canada Canada Your file Votre reference ISBN: 978-0-494-66699-9 Our file Notre reference ISBN: 978-0-494-66699-9 NOTICE: AVIS: The author has granted a non­ L'auteur a accorde une licence non exclusive exclusive license allowing Library and permettant a la Bibliotheque et Archives Archives Canada to reproduce, Canada de reproduire, publier, archiver, publish, archive, preserve, conserve, sauvegarder, conserver, transmettre au public communicate to the public by par telecommunication ou par I'Internet, preter, telecommunication or on the Internet, distribuer et vendre des theses partout dans le loan, distribute and sell theses monde, a des fins commerciales ou autres, sur worldwide, for commercial or non­ support microforme, papier, electronique et/ou commercial purposes, in microform, autres formats. paper, electronic and/or any other formats. The author retains copyright L'auteur conserve la propriete du droit d'auteur ownership and moral rights in this et des droits moraux qui protege cette these. Ni thesis. Neither the thesis nor la these ni des extraits substantiels de celle-ci substantial extracts from it may be ne doivent etre imprimes ou autrement printed or otherwise reproduced reproduits sans son autorisation. without the author's permission. In compliance with the Canadian Conformement a la loi canadienne sur la Privacy Act some supporting forms protection de la vie privee, quelques may have been removed from this formulaires secondaires ont ete enleves de thesis. cette these. While these forms may be included Bien que ces formulaires aient inclus dans in the document page count, their la pagination, il n'y aura aucun contenu removal does not represent any loss manquant. of content from the thesis. ••I Canada Abstract This investigation explored scientific, religious, and otherwise non- scientific factors that may influence student acceptance of biological evolution and related concepts, how students perceived these factors to have influenced their levels of acceptance of evolution and changes therein, and what patterns arose among students' articulations of how their levels of acceptance of evolution may have changed. This exploration also measured the extent to which students' levels of acceptance changed following a treatment designed to address factors identified as potentially affecting student acceptance of evolution. Acceptance of evolution was measured using the MATE instrument (Rutledge and Warden, 1999; Rutledge and Sadler, 2007) among participants enrolled in a secondary- level academic program during the summer prior to their final year of high school and as they transitioned to the post-secondary level. Student acceptance of evolution was measured to be significantly higher than pre-treatment levels both immediately following and slightly over one year after treatment. Qualitative data from informal questionnaires, from formal course evaluations, and from semi- structured interviews of students engaged in secondary level education and former students at various stages of post-secondary education confirmed that the suspected factors were perceived by participants to have influenced their levels of acceptance of evolution. Furthermore, participant reports provided insight regarding the relative effects they perceived these factors to have had on their evolution acceptance levels. Additionally, many participants reported that their science teachers in public schools had avoided, omitted, or denigrated evolution i during instruction, and several of these students expressed frustration regarding what they perceived to have been a lack of education of an important scientific principle. Finally, no students expressed feelings of being offended by having been taught about evolutionary science, and the overwhelming majority of the participants expressed enjoyment of the course and appreciation for having been taught about evolution. Resume Cette recherche a permis d'explorer les facteurs scientifiques, religieux et autrement non scientifiques qui peuvent influer sur l'acceptation par les eleves de revolution biologique et des concepts qui s'y rapportent, la facon dont les eleves ont percu l'incidence de ces facteurs sur leur degre d'acceptation de revolution et des changements a cet egard, ainsi que les modeles qui ressortent des propos des eleves quant a la maniere dont leur degre d'acceptation de revolution peut avoir change. Cette recherche a egalement permis de mesurer l'ampleur du changement du degre d'acceptation par les eleves a la suite d'un traitement concu pour aborder les facteurs identifies comme pouvant avoir un effet sur l'acceptation de revolution par les eleves. L'acceptation de revolution a ete mesuree au moyen de 1'instrument MATE (Rutledge et Warden, 1999; Rutledge et Sadler, 2007), chez des participants inscrits a un programme du niveau secondaire durant l'ete precedant leur derniere annee du secondaire, tandis qu'ils s'appretaient a faire la transition au niveau post-secondaire. Selon les resultats obtenus, l'acceptation de revolution par les eleves s'est revelee bien plus elevee qu'aux degres pretraitement, a la fois immediatement apres et un peu plus d'une annee suivant le traitement. Les donnees qualitatives recueillies a partir de questionnaires informels, d'evaluations de cours formelles et d'entrevues semi-structurees d'eleves qui poursuivaient des etudes secondaires et d'anciens eleves a differents niveaux d'enseignement post-secondaire ont confirme que les participants croient que les facteurs soupconnes ont influe sur leur degre d'acceptation de revolution. De plus, les rapports des participants ont donne un apercu des effets relatifs que, iii selon les participants, ces facteurs ont eu sur leur degre d'acceptation de revolution. De nombreux participants ont aussi rapporte que leurs professeurs de science dans les ecoles publiques ont evite, omis ou denigre revolution durant leur cours. Plusieurs eleves ont exprime leur frustration au sujet de l'enseignement deficient d'un principe scientifique important selon eux. Enfin, aucun eleve ne s'est senti offense en suivant les cours de science de revolution et la tres grande majorite des participants ont eu du plaisir a assister au cours et apprecie que revolution leur soit enseignee. IV Dedication In no particular order, I would like to dedicate this work to the following people for whom, in part, it was written. To my mother and father: I love you both. I have thought about you constantly over the duration of this project, wondering all the while what you would think about the topic and of me for having endeavored to explore this particular issue. If you do not already, I sincerely hope that you will understand it better by and by. To my wife: I love you, Tracy. This research has taken me away from you several times and for many months. I have missed you immensely when I have been away, and I regret having sometimes been less than present for you, even when at home, while this project has continued. Thank you for all of your understanding and support and patience. I am excited to move on to a new chapter in our lives together. To the students who participated in this project: I am proud of you all, and I am grateful for your help. I hope that I have represented you faithfully, as has been my sincere intention. Keep evolving! To the founders, supporters, alumni, faculty, and staff of the Arkansas Governor's School: Thank you for crafting and maintaining such a wonderful and phenomenally beneficial program. I credit much of what I have been able to accomplish to my experiences at AGS, and I feel a genuine bond with all who are affiliated with the program. To the teachers who responsibly, and often bravely, teach evolution as it should be taught: I hope you will find the results of this project encouraging and that you will find it to be of some assistance in your invaluable work. To the staff, directors, and supporters of the National Center for Science Education: The members of NCSE have been immensely helpful throughout the course of this and other projects, and you continue to be the most tireless and capable defenders of evolution education. I am honored to call you colleagues and friends. You are true heroes all. And to those who have navigated the journey from rejection of evolution to acceptance and to those who are in between: For some, this can be a lonely and difficult process. I know from personal experience. We should look out for our fellow pilgrims. v Acknowledgments Dr. Brian Alters holds international appointments across universities and departments; bears many titles; serves the science education community as a member of several directorial and editorial boards; heads an extraordinary number of research centres, projects, and outreach initiatives; hosts a prime-time television show which brings science education to homes across North America; teaches untold numbers of students (most of whom go on to teach others); has produced five books in the past five years (others are forthcoming); and has excelled in all of these and other endeavors. However, he has still managed to find time to serve as the finest mentor, advisor, and example a graduate student could hope to find. I am profoundly grateful for his guidance in this and other projects. Dr. Alters has provided me with opportunities unthinkable by even the most fortunate of doctoral students. He has shown tremendous confidence in my abilities and, from the very beginning of my studies at McGill, he has trusted me with copious and important responsibilities.
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