A Study on Students' Acceptance of Major Theories of Evolution : Responses of Lower Secondary, Upper Secondary, and University Students to Four Theories

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to clarify: 1) students' acceptance of major theories of evolution and 2) differences in acceptance according to the level of education (lower secondary, upper secondary, and university students). We used the questionnaire method. Subjects were shown a certain phenomenon of evolution and then shown four answers. Each of the answers was based upon a major theory of evolution (the theory of natural selection, the theory of the use-disuse and inheritance of acquired characteristics, the theory of orthogenesis, and the theory of saltation by mutation). Students responded to each question by marking a four-scale approval or disapproval answer sheet, with " 4" representing the strongest level of approval. Their responses were processed as an Approval-Disapproval Score. There were three questions, but one question dealt with the phenomena of obsolescence. The results of our study clearly showed that: 1) Approval of the theory of natural selection rose with the level of education, and there was a particularly high level of approval among university students. However, approval of the phenomena of obsolescence did not vary much with the level of education, and a low level of approval was also observed among university students. 2) Despite its inadequate state at present, the theory of the use-disuse and inheritance of acquired characteristics received a comparatively high level of approval. There was a particularly high level of approval among upper secondary students. 3) The theory of orthogenesis received higher approval among lower secondary students than among other students. 4) The theory of saltation by mutation received very low approval at all three educational levels. 5) In regard to the highest approval response (" 4 "), about 30-40 percent of the students' responses were consistent in every question. As many as 24.1 percent of university students consistently chose the theory of natural selection. Over 10 percent of students at every level consistently chose the theory of the use-disuse and inheritance of acquired characteristics.