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Evolution and Creationism: Views of Students in a Colombian University—Findings from 7 Years of Data Using a Three-Question Survey

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Abstract

The theory of evolution is the backbone of the biological sciences. Arguably, this is the reason why evolution education is an extensively investigated issue in several countries around the world. Little is known, however, about the views of university students in Colombia. Here, we report on 7 years of data generated by a three-question anonymous survey to identify Colombian university students’ views about evolution and creationism. We hypothesized that university students’ views may be related to their major and/or age. In total, 1132 students (ages 16–23 years) from different majors at a private university in Bogotá were surveyed. Our findings showed that (1) 66% of the university students held the view that human beings have developed over millions of years from less advanced forms of life and that God had no part in this process, (2) 85% of university students believed that humans have developed from other species, (3) 84% of university students held the view that life on Earth has evolved over time through natural selection, and (4) the chi-square analyses of the responses to the three-question survey revealed that university students’ views about evolution and creationism were not related to their major and/or age. Our findings reinforce the key role of students’ views, which should be valued and integrated into evolution education practice.

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Acknowledgements

The authors are indebted to students who were enrolled in Biology of Organisms course at Universidad de los Andes in Bogotá, Colombia for having completed the three-question anonymous survey. The authors would like to thank Anne-Marie Truscott de Mejía for her helpful comments on an earlier version of this paper.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Education, Universidad de los Andes, Bogotá, Colombia

    Pablo Antonio Archila

  2. Department of Biological Sciences, Universidad de los Andes, Bogotá, Colombia

    Jorge Molina

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  1. Pablo Antonio Archila
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Correspondence to Pablo Antonio Archila.

Appendix: Three-Question Anonymous Survey

Appendix: Three-Question Anonymous Survey

Question 1 (Newport 2006, p. 1)

Which of the following statements comes closest to your views on the origin and development of human beings?

  1. a.

    Human beings have developed over millions of years from less advanced forms of life, but God guided this process.

  2. b.

    Human beings have developed over millions of years from less advanced forms of life, but God had no part in this process.

  3. c.

    God created human beings pretty much in their present form at one time within the last 10,000 years or so.

Question 2 (Miller et al. 2006, p. 765)

Human beings, as we know them, developed from earlier species of animals …

  1. a.

    True.

  2. b.

    False.

  3. c.

    Do not know.

Question 3 (adapted from University of Texas and Texas Tribune 2010)

Which of the following statements comes closest to your views on the origin and development of life on Earth?

  1. a.

    Existed in its present form since the beginning of time.

  2. b.

    Evolved over time through natural selection.

  3. c.

    Evolved over time guided by a supreme being.

  4. d.

    Evolved over time, but I do not know how.

  5. e.

    Do not know.

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Archila, P.A., Molina, J. Evolution and Creationism: Views of Students in a Colombian University—Findings from 7 Years of Data Using a Three-Question Survey. Res Sci Educ 50, 1619–1638 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11165-018-9746-3

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