Scientific reasoning ability does not predict scientific views on evolution among religious individuals

Background Acceptance of evolutionary theory varies widely and is often associated with religious background. Some have suggested there exists an additional relationship between scientific reasoning ability and the acceptance of evolutionary theory. In this study, we used structural equation modelin...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Evolution education & outreach 2018, Vol.11 (1), p.1-9, Article 2
Main Authors: Manwaring, Katie F., Jensen, Jamie L., Gill, Richard A., Sudweeks, Richard R., Davies, Randall S., Bybee, Seth M.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Biomedical and Life Sciences
Creationism
Education
Evolutionary Biology
Learning and Instruction
Life Sciences
Macroevolution
Religiosity
Research Article
Science education
Scientific reasoning
Sociology of Education
Teaching and Teacher Education
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Summary:Background Acceptance of evolutionary theory varies widely and is often associated with religious background. Some have suggested there exists an additional relationship between scientific reasoning ability and the acceptance of evolutionary theory. In this study, we used structural equation modeling to test whether scientific reasoning ability predicts religiosity, acceptance of creationist views, or acceptance of evolution. We administered internet-based surveys to 724 individuals nationwide who self-describe as being religious and built a structural-equation model to test predictive abilities. Results We found that while religiosity positively predicts the acceptance of creationist views and negatively predicts the acceptance of evolution, scientific reasoning ability does not predict religiosity, acceptance of creationist views, or acceptance of evolutionary theory. Conclusions With a lack of any relationship between scientific reasoning ability and acceptance, an approach to evolution education that focuses on appealing to scientific reasoning may prove fruitless in changing student attitudes toward evolution; alternative teaching approaches regarding evolution are warranted.
ISSN:1936-6426
1936-6434
DOI:10.1186/s12052-018-0076-8