Intelligent design, creationism, and evolution: Whats science education got to do with it

1
Intelligent design, creationism, and
evolutionWhats science education got to do
with it?
2
Overview

• Introduction to educational debate
• Summary of events in the UK
• Our research
• Relevance Implications

3
Educational debate

• Teaching of evolution
• In Science, as Science
• Some do not accept evolution
• Creationism and Intelligent Design (ID)
• In Science, as Science?

4
Acceptance of evolution

• 1998 - Northern Ireland (Life Times Survey)
• Human beings as we know them today developed
  from earlier species of animals.
• True 66 False 28
• 2006 UK
• University student sample 31 reported they
  believed in creationism or intelligent design,
  with 56 accepting evolution (OpinionPanel.co.uk)
• Adult sample for BBC Horizon 39 believe
  creationism or ID (Ipsos MORI)

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Teaching of evolution

• Science as science
• What is science?
• No supernatural explanations

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What is science?

• Teach the Controversy
• Challenging the conception of science
• Redefine science
• Room for supernatural

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Dover, Pennsylvania, Dec 2005

• Eleven parents of students sued Dover Area School
  District
• Students will be made aware of the gaps/problems
  in Darwins theory and of other theories of
  evolution including, but not limited to,
  intelligent design.
• theory not fact
• Science teachers had refused to read the statement

Judge John E.Jones ruled against ID "The
overwhelming evidence at trial established that
ID is a religious view, a mere re-labeling of
creationism, and not a scientific theory."
The end of the debate?
8
In the UK

• British group set-up 2005
• Sept 2006, sent resource pack to all UK secondary
  schools
• 59 schools have used the pack
• Government - "not appropriate to support the
  science curriculum" (Guardian 27/11/06)
• DUP
• the faith of many thousands of pupils is being
  actively denigrated on a daily basis

British Centre for Science Education keeping
creationism and intelligent design out of the
science classroom in publicly-funded schools in
the United Kingdom Richard Dawkins Foundation
for Science and Reason to fight the "educational
scandal" of "irrational ideas"
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Two pilot studies

• Effectiveness of resource
• Students teachers watched 60min DVD Unlocking
  the Mystery of Life (Discovery Institute) and
  evaluated it.

• Study 1
• 9 students
• 3rd yr BEd biologists.

• Study 2
• 28 PGCE students, all biologists.
• Also included a follow-up questionnaire

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Comments

• Generally positive as a teaching resource

Intelligent Design now seems to be the most
researched belief for evolution. As a Christian,
I believe god created everything and that he has
a plan and a purpose for all life, so it was good
to hear some strong scientific views to back up
my beliefs intelligent design. Makes me ask
the question why is evolution still part of the
syllabus is it not a religion which would take
a lot of faith to believe in?

• A few perceived the challenge to Darwinian
  evolution but found the arguments unconvincing

• it was Scientists trying to justify their own
  faith in a Supreme being
• I was really annoyed by this DVD ultimately
  it was rubbish and could be easily pulled apart.
• I felt some of the arguments were biased and
  showed only one side of the argument

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Results summary

• 76 viewed the resource positively
• 97 perceived a scientific challenge to
  evolutionary theory
• Only 2 questioned/had doubts over the scientific
  claims
• On the question of level to pitch resource
• 8 GCSE
• 76 A-Level
• In the second study, 71 said they would use it
  in teaching
• 29 said maybe, no participants said they would
  not use it.
• After discussion in Study 2, participants said
  they would view teaching resources more
  critically in the future.

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What do you think of this DVD as an educational
resource?
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What did it teach you about evolution? -
perceived scientific challenge
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What level is it appropriate for?
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Study 2 follow-up

• Different viewpoint after class discussion

• it is obvious that the DVD is pushing a point
  of view that I hadnt considered. I viewed it as
  relevant to the curriculum, but now I see it as a
  major ethical issue.
• teaching resources need to be well evaluated
  and scrutinised before thinking of using
• After discussion, now aware of more flaws in
  DVD. Also promoting to GCSE class, easily
  influenced Have to be careful when using
  resources, some are biased. Have to critically
  view resources.
• Knowing the background/funding of the DVD has
  made me feel differently

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Implications

• New teachers accept classroom resources at face
  value
• Do ID advocates know this?
• The majority of new teachers thought the DVD is
  unsuitable for GCSE, even though it is promoted
  to support GCSE
• Do its distributors intend to blind with
  science?
• These are science teachers
• If science teachers can be persuaded, could this
  be an effective tactic by the ID movement to
  redefine science?

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Questions for teachers, educators and researchers

• Who should decide what is taught in the science
  classroom?
• Teachers, subject-specialists, pupils, parents,
  lobby-groups, legislators, politicians?
• The debate isnt going away
• how should science teachers and educators
  respond?
• Is there an issue for the communication of
  evolution and science in general?
• How can educational researchers inform teachers
  and educators?