The research came from Michael Berkman and Eric Plutzer of Penn State. They looked through the results of a wider survey of 926 biology teachers in public schools who’d been picked as a representative sample. The survey included statistical questions about the time spent on particular subjects, and open-ended questions about the teachers’ views on evolution.
The pair then divided the respondents into three groups:
28% structure their classes to include evidence that evolution occurred, and use it as a unifying theme (the approach recommended by the National Research Council and National Academy of Sciences)
13% “explicitly advocate creationism or intelligent design by spending at least one hour of class time presenting it in a positive light” (which largely crosses over with the 14% of teachers who personally believe God created humans)
60% do not strongly endorse either evolution or alternative explanations
The researchers noted that those in the last category adopt one of three main approaches: only referring to evolution in molecular biology terms; telling students that personal belief doesn’t matter as long as they answer test questions correctly; and presenting a range of explanations and leaving it up to students to decide.
Although the last of those options may come across as more open-minded, Berkman and Plutzer reject the approach, arguing that it wrongly presents evolution as a matter of opinion rather than fact.
The report, published in Science magazine, comes a week after the release of a national testing program’s results shows 40% of twelfth-graders failed to reach what was deemed a “basic” level of scientific knowledge for their age.
