Analysis of pre-service and in-service views of evolution of Serbian teachers

Abstract

We analysed the potential differences between the conceptions of Serbian pre-service and in-service teachers using controlled parameters such as acceptance of the evolution theory. Our sample includes Primary School teachers as well as Secondary School teachers of Biology and of Language. We show that the ideas of pre-service (PreB) and in-service biology teachers (InB) are more evolutionary than those of their colleagues. In contrast, most creationist responses came from the groups of pre-service language (PreL) and pre-service primary teachers (PreP). The agnostic teachers are more evolutionist than other teachers. The more a teacher believes in God and practices religion, the more creationist he or she is, but a great number of teachers who believe in God are evolutionist or simultaneously evolutionist and creationist. There is a positive correlation between evolutionist answers and the attitude that „Science and religion should be separated“, and „religion and politics should be separated“. [Projekat Ministarstva nauke Republike Srbije, br. 173038 i br. III 43001]

Keywords

• pre-service teachers
• in-service teachers
• teachers’ conceptions
• evolution
• creationism