When the Supreme Court struck down a Louisiana law that required public schools to give "equal time" to "creation science," an apparent contradiction was created because groups that traditionally supported the defense of civil liberties in general and freedom of expression in particular seemed to support a position designed to…

The New Christian Right (NCR) has long wanted to impose fundamentalist Christian virtues and values on the United States. This paper discusses fundamentalist movements since the Scopes trial and assesses their impact on public school education. The NCR holds that traditional God-centered Christianity has been replaced in U.S. society and schools…

This study ascertained whether or not computer assisted instruction (CAI) enhanced the quality of the educational experience and resulted in increased learning. The study involved the teaching of a 3-week instructional unit on population genetics and evolutionary processes to advanced placement biology students. The control group (N=38) received…

For the past two decades, increasing numbers of scientists have been optimistic about finding other intelligent life forms in our galaxy. On the other hand, as knowledge has grown regarding how life developed on earth, a scientific counterrevolution has evolved. Simply stated, it questions the inevitability of widespread life within our galaxy,…

This paper, presented at the annual meeting of the National Association of Biology Teachers, is focused on legal and judicial problems in mandating equal time for creationism. Past events provide evidence that legislation, policies, and local resolutions that require science textbooks and curricula to include the Genesis account of creation are…

British evulative studies in education have taken different approaches from those in America. Although there has been some interchange of ideas, the social context in the two countries is different, requiring different mechanisms for the initiation, implementation, and followup of educational evaluation. There are still lessons to be learned in…

Intelligence makes man unique. To date man's use of this intelligence has been deficient. The deficit lies in the one-sided development of his problem-solving capacity; that is, an enormous growth has occurred in technological capabilities without a corresponding gain in solutions to social problems. This deficit is particularly significant…

Presents the history of astronomy for more than 4,000 years. This includes the Babylonian observations, the Greek system of the universe, the Greek planetarium, the I

State and Supreme Court litigation perpetuates the controversy over the role of creationism in the science classroom, and surveys reveal that many Americans continue to doubt the scientific validity of evolution theory and believe in equal classroom time for creationism. (MSE)

As the United States became urban, industrialized and heterogeneous a century ago, politically powerful groups decided state laws must mandate their values in public schools. This article describes three crusades: for temperance instruction, for compulsory Bible reading and the banning of Darwin, and for patriotic rituals and Americanization. (MT)

This book synthesizes information from a range of scientific disciplines, including neuroscience, developmental psychology, and psychiatry, to explore the idea that the mind emerges at the interface of interpersonal experience and the structure and function of the brain. Each chapter explores a major domain of human experience. Following an…

Discusses how the earth is a dynamic system that maintains itself in a steady state. Areas considered include large/small-scale earth motions, geologic time, rock and hydrologic cycles, and other aspects dealing with the changing face of the earth. (JN)

The Almond model of public opinion can be modified to produce an issue-polarization model of the creation-evolution debate. Suggests that the nonattentive public may hold more potential for expanding the ranks of pro-evolution attentives than for expanding the ranks of those favoring creationism. (JN)

Discusses topics to aid in understanding animal behavior, including the value of the biological approach to psychology, functional systems, optimality and fitness, universality of environmental effects on behavior, and evolution of social behavior. (DS)

This essay by a Harvard evolutionist presents viewpoints concerning the creationists' arguments against evolutionary biology. Semantics regarding "facts" and "theory" of evolution are examined, examples are cited of creationist argument, and arguments for evolution are presented. (CS)