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CANADIAN PRE-SERVICE ELEMENTARY TEACHERS’ CONCEPTIONS OF BIOLOGICAL EVOLUTION AND EVOLUTION EDUCATION / CONCEPTIONS DES FUTURS ENSEIGNANTS CANADIENS À L’ÉLÉMENTAIRE SUR L’ÉVOLUTION BIOLOGIQUE ET L’ENSEIGNEMENT DE L’ÉVOLUTIONThis study explores pre-service elementary school teachers’ understandings of evolutionary science and their feelings and concerns about teaching evolution in Canadian elementary schools. Data were collected through a questionnaire and semi-structured interviews. Most participants reported acceptance of evolution as a scientifically factual phenomenon, and almost three quarters of those who accepted evolution reported that they intend to include biological evolution in their elementary science teaching. A landscape of sensitivities related to participants’ decisions about teaching evolution emerged, including concerns regarding the religious beliefs of students and their parents, the pre-service teachers’ inadequate understanding of evolutionary science, and their lack of knowledge of related pedagogical techniques. This study calls for more effective training of future teachers in evolutionary science and for teachers to be professionally prepared to deal with potential social challenges and pressures regarding the teaching of evolution in elementary schools. CONCEPTIONS DES FUTURS ENSEIGNANTS CANADIENS À L’ÉLÉMENTAIRE SUR L’ÉVOLUTION BIOLOGIQUE ET L’ENSEIGNEMENT DE L’ÉVOLUTION Cette étude explore la compréhension des futurs enseignants à l’élémentaire de la science de l’évolution ainsi que leurs sentiments et préoccupations quant à l’enseignement de l’évolution dans les écoles primaires du Canada. Les données ont été recueillies au moyen d’un questionnaire et d’entrevues semi-structurées. La majorité des participants ont avalisé la conception de l’évolution comme phénomène factuel sur le plan scientifique, et presque trois quarts de ceux qui ont accepté cette conception ont affirmé qu’ils avaient l’intention d’inclure l’évolution biologique dans leur programme d’enseignement des sciences au niveau primaire. De ces données s’est dégagé un panorama de sensibilités liées à la décision des participants d’enseigner l’évolution, y compris des préoccupations concernant les croyances religieuses des élèves et de leurs parents, la compréhension imparfaite des futurs enseignants de la science de l’évolution et leur manque de connaissance quant aux techniques pédagogiques connexes. Cette étude réclame une formation plus efficace des futurs enseignants de la science de l’évolution et une préparation professionnelle des enseignants pour qu’ils puissent affronter les pressions et les défis sociaux liés à l’enseignement de l’évolution dans les écoles élémentaires.
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University Evolution Education: The Effect of Evolution Instruction on Biology Majors’ Content Knowledge, Attitude Toward Evolution, and Theistic PositionIssues regarding understanding of evolution and resistance to evolution education in the United States are of key importance to biology educators at all levels. While research has measured student views toward evolution at single points in time, few studies have been published investigating whether views of college seniors are any different than first-year students in the same degree program. Additionally, students choosing to major in biological sciences have largely been overlooked, as if their acceptance of evolution is assumed. This study investigated the understanding of evolution and attitude toward evolution held by students majoring in biological science during their first and fourth years in a public research university. Participants included students in a first-year introductory biology course intended for biological science majors and graduating seniors earning degrees in either biology or genetics. The portion of the survey reported here consisted of quantitative measures of students’ understanding of core concepts of evolution and their attitude toward evolution. The results indicate that students’ understanding of particular evolutionary concepts is significantly higher among seniors, but their attitude toward evolution is only slightly improved compared to their first-year student peers. When comparing first-year students and seniors, students’ theistic position was not significantly different.