Today's post is by Liz Barnes, a PhD Graduate Student in Sara Brownell's Biology Education Research Lab at ASU's School of Life Sciences. Liz found her niche in evolution education research and completed a master’s thesis titled “Professor Attitudes and Beliefs about Teaching Evolution”. After obtaining her master’s degree in the summer of 2014, she began working on her doctoral research, which focuses on how the personal belief systems of individuals influence their perceptions of science and science education. Further, she is studying the ways in which science educators can effectively teach controversial subjects in biology while fostering positive attitudes towards science.
Evolution is one of the most important theories in biology and yet one of the most controversial in society (Dobzhansky, 1973; Newport, 2014). This concurrent foundational and controversial nature of evolution makes it one of the more difficult topics to teach in biology. While students will accept our word as instructors when it comes to topics such as photosynthesis and cellular respiration, it will often take more than lecturing on the processes of evolution to change a student’s mind who came into the biology class believing they must deny God if they “believe” evolution (Scott, 2014). Unfortunately, in my
research I have found that many college professors continue to use the same methods of “teaching the facts” to try and change students’ minds about evolution (
Barnes & Brownell, 2016) even though this has been shown to be minimally effective in changing students’ attitudes. Using the most current evolution education literature, including my own research with religious students learning evolution and instructors teaching evolution, I outline instructional practices beyond “teaching the facts” that can help religious students feel more comfortable learning evolution:
1. Do not ignore the elephant in the room
Many instructors believe by avoiding discussions about religion when teaching evolution they will avoid controversy and student discomfort in the classroom (
Barnes & Brownell, 2016;
Griffith & Brem, 2004). However, prior research is showing that when instructors avoid religion when discussing topics such as evolution, where many students see a clash between what the instructor is teaching and what they have learned at home, that this makes students feel ignored and alienated (Barnes & Brownell, under review;
Hermann, 2012). Sometimes to say nothing at all can say a lot. To religious students in biology classes saying nothing can often propagate their current conception that their religion and biology must be in conflict. So, it is important that the topic be addressed. However, exactly how you address religion when teaching evolution can be as important as whether you address religion.
2. Be transparent about the limitations of science in addressing God and purpose
One of the main contentions students tend to see with evolution is that they believe they must reject a belief in God in order to “believe” evolution. Because of this pervasive misconception, a brief lesson on the nature of science as contrasted to religion can be helpful. However, it is important that in this lesson we do not characterize science as the “hero” and religion as the “villain” in a story of the “truth” about life. Too many times I have talked to instructors with good intentions, who tell me about how they tell their students that science is fact, based on evidence, and religion is an intuition, based on faith and cast evolution as saving us from the falsities of religion. Although this is not always an unfair characterization, students have told me that it can come off as patronizing and condescending towards religion and subsequently leave them feeling unexcited about evolution. It is often more helpful for an instructor to describe the purpose of science as answering questions about the natural world using natural explanations and to describe religion as answering questions science cannot, about ethics, purpose, and the supernatural. If religion sticks to the domain of religion and science sticks to the domain of science, then there can be no conflict. This alone might dispel resistance towards evolution among many students.
3. Show students examples of biologists who are religious and support evolution
We are social creatures by nature and therefore have curious ways of choosing what to believe and not to believe based on the status quo of our social group. Students are no different. Recent research is implicating pretty clearly that in order for religious students to accept evolution, they need to see examples of individuals like themselves who also accept evolution, in order to change their “in-group” perceptions (Barnes, Elser, & Brownell, in press;
Winslow, Staver, & Scharmann, 2011). This can be challenging given that only 25% of biologists are religious compared to the majority of the general public who are religious (
Pew, 2009). However, even if as an instructor you do not hold religious beliefs yourself, you can point other biologists who do such as
Francis Collins and
Ken Miller. By giving students role models who are religious like themselves, but who also accept evolution, this expands the number of possible beliefs the student can hold as a member of a religious group.
4. Make the classroom a safe place for all students
Finally, it is important that as instructors we make the classroom feel like a safe place for students with a wide range of religious beliefs. Some students will inevitably see a conflict with evolution. In fact, research shows that many of them will (
Rice, Olson, & Colbert, 2010). Acknowledging that these students exist and encouraging them to be a part of classroom discussion and exploration can be key in getting a student who does not believe evolution to engage with the material. In my interviews, students who felt like they were not acknowledged described learning evolution “just for the grade” and then forgetting about evolution once they left the class because they still did not “believe”. In my experience, it is the student who is given the opportunity to reflect on their conceptions, discuss them openly in a safe place with others, and feel like it is OK if they don’t change their minds, who change their minds most often (Barnes & Brownell, under review;
Southerland & Scharmann, 2013).
Concluding remarks
As scientists and science instructors we tend to believe that helping our students understand the scientific evidence for evolution will be enough to convince students that evolution is a real thing that is important to biology. But more and more research shows that addressing the emotional components of learning evolution can be just as important for a student to undergo true conceptual change in which they integrate evolution into their existing conceptual framework of the real world. This list is one way to start addressing this often overlooked component of evolution instruction.
Great advice. At the high school level, especially in the suburbs, based on my anecdotal experience there seems to he a large number of science teachers who teach that evolution is only partially true, leaving room for a religious agenda that man and creatures were created, and evolution occurred after creation only within each species "created." To support this view, some teachers present discredited science concepts that are supported by a minority of scientists who have religious agendas, but whose claims have been discredited by in-depth peer review. This is the case, for example, in the Honors Biology class at my son's high school.
ReplyDeleteIn that light, your good advice: "how you address religion when teaching evolution can be as important as whether you address religion" could be mis-taken by teachers with a religious agenda as licence to present discredited scientific "facts" such as irreducible complexity, under the veil of critical-thinking.
What likely should be addressed, as you eloquently stated, is that there are limitations in science, and that faith is an area of study that can't be addressed in the science class - not because it is inferior to science, but because it is incompatible with the scientific method. Cross-species evolution has been replicated in the lab, and fossil records map-out human evolution. It is okay if one's faith makes them skeptical of such, but within that skepticism understand that many religious leaders (including the Pope) have reconciled their acceptance of the fact of human evolution alongside the creation accounts in their religions, and suggest to those students they seek out how those men and women of faith reconcile such. It doesn't have to be an either-or.
The reason it is important to mend the unfortunate, unnecessary, but real culture divide between science and religion is because such a divide negatively affects all of science. If something as fundamental as evolution is seen by half the population as an attack on religion, that discredits in their mind science in general. Advancement in science is fundamental to remaining competitive in the world markets and to solve world issues.
There seems to be many atheist or agnostic science teachers, especially at the college level, who dismiss the skepticism of religious students as having dumb and unreasoned views.Those teachers/professors are equally guilty of widening the cultural divide. Such atheist/agnostic teachers/professors only perpetuate the misconception that evolution theory was created to deny the existence of a god. These teachers can help eliminate the divide by paying attention to your studies on this topic.