Muslim Indonesian prospective biology teachers’ acceptance and typology of the theory of evolution

Abstract

Abstract Background Muslim Indonesian prospective biology teachers have different views on evolution theory. Muslim prospective biology teachers suspect that differences in their understanding of the theory of evolution stem from their religious beliefs. This study aims to investigate Muslim Indonesian prospective biology teachers’ acceptance and typology of evolution theory. Methods An explanatory sequential design was combined with mixed techniques. Out of 185 potential biology teachers, 153 (16 males and 137 females) completed the questionnaire during the quantitative phase. We interviewed 5 males and 28 females in the qualitative phase to determine the typology of engagement, and all participants filled out an open-ended questionnaire to complete the previous data. Results The findings demonstrated the validity and reliability of the tools employed, as well as the high degree of acceptance of evolution among Muslim Indonesian aspiring biology teachers. The results also showed that there is a predominant typology of engagement reconciliation among Muslim Indonesian prospective biology teachers, with few explorers and resistors. Conclusions Muslim Indonesian prospective biology teachers do not differ in their conceptual understanding of theory evolution from their religious beliefs.

Keywords

• Muslim Indonesian prospective biology teachers
• Theory of evolution
• Acceptance
• Typology