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Evolution and the End of a World University of Kentucky UKnowledge University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations Graduate School 2010 EVOLUTION AND THE END OF A WORLD David Edward Long University of Kentucky, [email protected] Right click to open a feedback form in a new tab to let us know how this document benefits ou.y Recommended Citation Long, David Edward, "EVOLUTION AND THE END OF A WORLD" (2010). University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations. 102. https://uknowledge.uky.edu/gradschool_diss/102 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at UKnowledge. It has been accepted for inclusion in University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations by an authorized administrator of UKnowledge. For more information, please contact [email protected]. ABSTRACT OF DISSERTATION David Edward Long The Graduate School University of Kentucky 2010 EVOLUTION AND THE END OF A WORLD ______________________________ ABSTRACT OF DISSERTATION ______________________________ A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the College of Education at the University of Kentucky By David Edward Long Lexington, Kentucky Director: Dr. Jane Jensen, Professor of Educational Policy Studies and Evaluation Lexington, Kentucky Copyright © David Edward Long 2010 ABSTRACT OF DISSERTATION EVOLUTION AND THE END OF A WORLD This dissertation examines college student understanding and attitudes toward biological evolution. In ethnographic work, I followed a cohort of 31 students through their required introductory biology class. In interviews, students discuss their life history with the concept - in school, at home, at church, and in their communities. For some Creationist students, confronting evolution in class has meant confronting existential issues regarding both the basis of science and the basis of faith. For other Creationist students, claims of evolution's theoretical strength are eschewed for its direct challenge to their worldview. For most students, science holds minimal interest against other values in their lives. Faculty and policy makers decry this as poor American science literacy which demands change. This work illustrates the gap between "ideal science literacy", and the everyday practices which result in half of Americans rejecting evolution as sound science. KEYWORDS: Evolution, Creationism, Science Literacy, Philosophy of Science Education, Science Education Ethnography ___David E. Long__________________ Student's signature ___April 21, 2010__________________ Date EVOLUTION AND THE END OF A WORLD by David Edward Long ___Jane McEldowney Jensen_________ Director of Dissertation Director of Graduate Studies ___April 21, 2010__________________ Date RULES FOR THE USE OF DISSERTATIONS Unpublished dissertations submitted for the Doctor's degree and deposited in the University of Kentucky Library are as a rule open for inspection, but are to be used only with due regard to the rights of the authors. Bibliographical references may be noted, but quotations or summaries of parts may be published only with the permission of the author, and with the usual scholarly acknowledgments. Extensive copying or publication of the dissertation in whole or in part also requires the consent of the Dean of the Graduate School of the University of Kentucky. A library that borrows this dissertation for use by its patrons is expected to secure the signature of each user. Name Date ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ DISSERTATION David Edward Long The Graduate School University of Kentucky 2010 EVOLUTION AND THE END OF A WORLD _________________ DISSERTATION _________________ A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the College of Education at the University of Kentucky By David Edward Long Lexington, Kentucky Director: Dr. Jane Jensen, Professor of Educational Policy Studies and Evaluation Lexington, Kentucky Copyright © David Edward Long 2010 AKNOWLEDGEMENTS This dissertation represents work culminating from many life experiences and varied influences. As such, my thanks go out to the following. Thanks to my dissertation committee member for their guidance, ideas, and criticism through the time developing and implementing this project. Richard Angelo, Jeff Bieber, John Yopp, Steve Clements, and Ken Tobin each contributed greatly to my thinking about the American relationship between science and religion in education. Great thanks to Jane McEldowney Jensen, dissertation chair and friend through this process. With great patience, understanding, and advocacy for students she has left a lasting impression on me in how to listen to, with, and for students experiencing worlds of education. Additional thanks to John Thelin and Beth Goldstein. Each has consistently reminded me of keeping an eye on the larger histories and field(s) within which we work. Thanks to my social support network in the greater Louisville area. My exit to graduate school was marked by dual tragedies. I hope that the lessons learned and friends remembered during the spring of 2007 inform all of our life courses. Special thanks to Stuart Jones and Katherine Hoover within this process. Great thanks to my partner, friend, and peer Christina Wright. Your love and interest in the sharing the worlds of words, nature, film, and travel continue to inspire and endear me. Additional thanks to the Kentucky Bourbon industry and Supreme Court Justice William O. Douglass. Each had distinctly ameliorating effects on my time at the University of Kentucky. Final thanks to Marlowe, Medina, and lastly Hermes. We continue to wait for messages. iii TABLE OF CONTENTS Acknowledgements.................................................................................................... iii Table of Contents....................................................................................................... iv List of Tables............................................................................................................. vii List of Figures............................................................................................................ viii Prologue Darwin's Apocalypse......................................................................... ix The End of a World................................................................xii End(s) of World(s)................................................................. xiii Why did Darwin Hesitate?..................................................... xvi Why do We Continue to Hesitate?.........................................xvii Chapter 1 Lay of the Land.................................................................................. 1 Debate!................................................................................... 1 ¡Viva la Evolución!................................................................ 4 Evolution and Creationism: De Jure and De Facto............... 8 Evolution De Jure – Arriving at our Science Literacy Ideals................................. 8 Evolution De Facto – People‘s Attitudes............................. 10 K-12students.............................................................. 10 College students......................................................... 12 ‗Pre-service‘ teachers................................................. 14 K-12 teachers............................................................. 15 Research on the policy / practice gap........................ 18 Creationism De Jure and De Facto....................................... 19 Organization of the Text........................................................ 21 Chapter 2 The Cultural Process of Evolution Education................................... 25 Natural Science cannot do it Alone...................................... 25 The World of Science and the Worlds of People................... 26 Worldview and the World of Science Education Research... 28 A Different Rationale – Science as Culture........................... 31 Studying the Total Phenomenon of Evolution Education...... 33 My Perspective.......................................................................35 The Role of the University in the Research........................... 38 Site Selection: Where ‗One‘ Goes to College....................... 39 The Campus Tour.................................................................. 41 In Class.................................................................................. 42 Data Collection.....................................................................
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