This study examined age differences in young people's understanding of evolution theory in secondary school. A second aim of this study was to propose a new coding scheme that more accurately described students' conceptual understanding about evolutionary theory. We argue that coding schemes adopted in previous research may have overestimated…

Discusses recent evolution education literature and highlights key themes and perspectives recognized in the scientific community but only minimally exposed within either the science classroom or the science education research agenda. Discusses recommendations to address these important omissions within the science educator community. Contains 61…

This position paper supports the exclusion of the special creation doctrine in science classrooms. Reviews the current controversy concerning legislative actions mandating the teaching of scientific creation in classrooms, presents creationists' and evolutionists' viewpoints, and discusses the philosophical disparity between creation and…

Indicates that measures of reflective reasoning skill are significantly related to initial scientific beliefs about evolution, as well as to gains in declarative knowledge about evolution; however, the same measures are not significantly related to changes in those beliefs. Interrelationships among the study's major variables and their educational…