Table 3 BEL survey statement teachers’ and students’ percent responses
Category | Statement | Percentage responsea | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | |||
1 | SSMT1 | A scientific theory that explains a natural phenomenon can be classified as a ‘best guess’ or ‘hunch.’b | 2.9 | 11.4 | 8.6 | 77.1 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
11.9 | 37.3 | 22.9 | 11.9 | 15.7 | 0.2 | |||
14.0 | 31.9 | 22.2 | 22.0 | 9.5 | 0.4 | |||
2 | SSMT2 | The scientific methods used to determine the age of fossils and the earth are reliable. | 42.9 | 28.6 | 20.0 | 8.6 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
22.6 | 50.4 | 14.0 | 6.3 | 6.5 | 0.2 | |||
25.0 | 44.0 | 16.4 | 9.9 | 4.7 | 0.0 | |||
3 | SSMT3 | According to the second law of thermodynamics, complex life forms cannot evolve from simpler life forms. | 11.4 | 11.4 | 20.0 | 28.6 | 25.7 | 2.9 |
9.5 | 11.0 | 16.8 | 17.2 | 44.8 | 0.7 | |||
10.8 | 17.7 | 23.5 | 21.1 | 26.3 | 0.6 | |||
4 | SSMT4 | The earth is old enough for evolution to have occurred. | 54.3 | 22.9 | 5.7 | 11.4 | 5.7 | 0.0 |
28.5 | 27.4 | 11.9 | 20.0 | 11.6 | 0.6 | |||
36.4 | 23.3 | 12.7 | 18.8 | 7.8 | 0.9 | |||
5 | SSMT5 | Evolution cannot be considered a reliable explanation because evolution is only a theory. | 5.7 | 17.1 | 11.4 | 60.0 | 2.9 | 2.9 |
30.2 | 24.8 | 20.5 | 13.4 | 10.8 | 0.2 | |||
30.8 | 27.1 | 19.6 | 16.0 | 6.3 | 0.2 | |||
6 | IE1 | Evolution always results in improvement.b | 5.7 | 11.4 | 25.7 | 54.3 | 2.9 | 0.0 |
6.9 | 22.8 | 28.2 | 25.4 | 14.9 | 1.9 | |||
7.5 | 22.4 | 30.8 | 29.3 | 8.6 | 1.5 | |||
7 | IE2 | Members of a species evolve because of an inner need to evolve.b | 2.9 | 8.6 | 11.4 | 71.4 | 5.7 | 0.0 |
11.2 | 28.9 | 21.1 | 16.4 | 22.4 | 0.0 | |||
9.5 | 26.1 | 24.4 | 23.9 | 15.5 | 0.6 | |||
8 | IE3 | Traits acquired during the lifetime of an organism - such as large muscles produced by body building - will not be passed along to offspring. | 77.1 | 8.6 | 8.6 | 5.7 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
30.0 | 24.6 | 19.0 | 17.5 | 8.8 | 0.0 | |||
42.0 | 21.3 | 16.6 | 13.8 | 6.0 | 0.4 | |||
9 | IE4 | If webbed feet are being selected for, all individuals in the next generation will have more webbing on their feet than do individuals in their parents’ generation.b | 17.1 | 22.9 | 0.0 | 60.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
9.1 | 1.9 | 21.8 | 11.6 | 24.6 | 0.9 | |||
18.3 | 35.8 | 23.1 | 11.2 | 10.6 | 0.9 | |||
10 | IE5 | Evolution cannot cause an organism’s traits to change within its lifetime. | 71.4 | 11.4 | 5.7 | 8.6 | 2.9 | 0.0 |
16.6 | 20.1 | 26.5 | 15.9 | 19.6 | 1.3 | |||
20.1 | 29.9 | 20.7 | 18.5 | 9.9 | 0.9 | |||
11 | NE1 | New traits within a population appear at random.c | 48.6 | 25.7 | 14.3 | 8.6 | 2.9 | 0.0 |
10.3 | 30.6 | 26.9 | 13.8 | 17.9 | 0.6 | |||
9.9 | 28.5 | 31.0 | 22.2 | 8.0 | 0.4 | |||
12 | NE2 | Individual organisms adapt to their environments. | 20.0 | 22.9 | 11.4 | 45.7 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
49.4 | 32.1 | 8.2 | 4.1 | 5.2 | 0.9 | |||
44.2 | 32.8 | 11.4 | 7.8 | 3.0 | 0.7 | |||
13 | NE3 | Evolution is a totally random process. | 22.9 | 20.0 | 20.0 | 34.3 | 2.9 | 0.0 |
10.1 | 16.0 | 24.4 | 25.4 | 23.7 | 0.4 | |||
11.6 | 19.0 | 26.3 | 30.0 | 12.5 | 0.6 | |||
14 | NE4 | The environment determines which traits are best suited for survival. | 51.4 | 37.1 | 11.4 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
24.3 | 33.6 | 17.2 | 11.9 | 12.3 | 0.7 | |||
31.3 | 34.0 | 20.7 | 8.8 | 5.0 | 0.2 | |||
15 | ME1 | Variation among individuals within a species is important for evolution to occur.b | 74.3 | 17.1 | 8.6 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
11.2 | 28.0 | 18.8 | 9.3 | 32.6 | 0.0 | |||
21.5 | 34.3 | 19.0 | 12.1 | 12.5 | 0.6 | |||
16 | ME2 | ‘Survival of the fittest’ means basically that ‘only the strong survive.’c | 8.6 | 31.4 | 17.1 | 42.9 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
35.8 | 27.2 | 17.2 | 12.5 | 7.1 | 0.2 | |||
44.8 | 24.4 | 13.6 | 12.7 | 4.5 | 0.0 | |||
17 | ME3 | The size of the population has no effect on the evolution of a species.b | 2.9 | 0.0 | 31.4 | 65.7 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
12.5 | 17.4 | 33.2 | 21.8 | 14.9 | 0.2 | |||
12.7 | 21.6 | 27.6 | 29.7 | 7.8 | 0.6 | |||
18 | ME4 | Complex structures such as the eye could have been formed by evolution. | 34.3 | 17.1 | 11.4 | 34.3 | 2.9 | 0.0 |
10.8 | 26.1 | 17.4 | 25.9 | 19.2 | 0.6 | |||
15.5 | 22.4 | 21.1 | 29.9 | 10.6 | 0.6 | |||
19 | ME5 | Only beneficial traits are passed on from parent to offspring. | 0.0 | 0.0 | 17.1 | 82.9 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
8.8 | 21.5 | 26.5 | 34.0 | 8.2 | 1.1 | |||
7.8 | 23.9 | 21.8 | 40.1 | 6.0 | 0.4 | |||
20 | ESE1 | There exists a large amount of evidence supporting the theory of evolution.b | 51.4 | 11.4 | 11.4 | 22.9 | 2.9 | 0.0 |
14.0 | 22.2 | 19.2 | 23.9 | 20.3 | 0.4 | |||
14.6 | 28.4 | 21.8 | 26.5 | 8.6 | 0.2 | |||
21 | ESE2 | According to the theory of evolution, humans evolved from monkeys, gorillas, or apes. | 17.1 | 14.3 | 1.4 | 54.3 | 2.9 | 0.0 |
25.9 | 25.0 | 10.6 | 30.2 | 8.2 | 0.0 | |||
23.9 | 23.5 | 12.1 | 34.1 | 6.3 | 0.0 | |||
22 | ESE3 | Scientific evidence indicates that dinosaurs and humans lived at the same time in the past.b | 8.6 | 14.3 | 5.7 | 62.9 | 8.6 | 0.0 |
13.6 | 20.7 | 17.7 | 28.2 | 19.0 | 0.7 | |||
12.7 | 20.5 | 21.6 | 32.5 | 12.3 | 0.4 | |||
23 | ESE4 | The majority of scientists favor evolution over other explanations for life. | 42.9 | 34.3 | 17.1 | 5.7 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
16.4 | 28.4 | 21.8 | 10.6 | 22.2 | 0.6 | |||
20.0 | 34.7 | 20.5 | 12.1 | 12.3 | 0.4 | |||