The Relationship between Students’ Views of the Nature of Science and their Views of the Nature of Scientific Measurement

The present study explores the relationship between students’ views of the nature of science (NOS) and their views of the nature of scientific measurement. A questionnaire with two‐tier diagnostic multiple‐choice items on both the NOS and measurement was administered to 179 first‐year physics students with diverse school experiences. Students’ views on the NOS were classified into four NOS ‘profiles’, and views on measurement were classified according to either the point or set paradigms. The findings show that students with a NOS profile dominated by a belief that the laws of nature are to be discovered by scientists are more likely to have a view of the nature of scientific measurement characterised by a belief in ‘true’ values. On the other hand, students who believe that scientific theories are inventions of scientists, constructed from observations that are then validated through further experimentation, are more likely to have a view of the nature of scientific measurement that is underpinned by the uncertain nature of scientific evidence. The implications for teaching scientific measurement at tertiary level are discussed.     

Entrepreneurial Academics: Developing Scientific Careers in Changing University Settings

This paper examines the impact of entrepreneurial initiatives within universities on scientific careers. Based on the career accounts of university‐based bioscientists involved in a government‐sponsored entrepreneurship training initiative, the paper explores the concept of academic entrepreneurialism. Three groups were identified in the data. First, academic entrepreneurs, who tended to be more experienced scientists and were now able to capitalise on their science. Second, those interested in technology transfer, who saw their career path taking them away from science, and finally a group of younger scientists who were trying to develop their career capital but were unsure what direction their career would take. The implications of these different groups for the management of universities and the development of knowledge are considered.     

Acculturation and religion in schools: the views of young people from minority belief backgrounds

This paper aims to explore the relationship between religious identity, acculturation strategies and perceptions of acculturation orientation in the school context amongst young people from minority belief backgrounds. Based on a qualitative study including interviews with 26 young people from religious minority belief backgrounds in Northern Ireland, it is argued that acculturation theory provides a useful lens for understanding how young people from religious minority belief backgrounds navigate majority religious school contexts. Using a qualitative approach to explore acculturation theory enables an in‐depth understanding of the inter‐relationship between minority belief youth's acculturation strategies and their respective school contexts. Similar to previous research, integrationist attitudes generally prevailed amongst minority belief young people in this study. The findings highlight how young people negotiate their religious identities in a complex web of inter‐relationships between their minority religious belief community and the mainstream school culture as represented through peer and staff attitudes, school ethos and practices and religious education. Young people demonstrated differentiated understandings of acculturation orientations within the school context, which they evaluated on the basis of complex perceptions of educational policy, interpersonal relationships and individuals' motivations. Findings are discussed in view of acculturation tensions, which arose particularly in relation to the religious education curriculum and their implications for opt‐out provision as stipulated by human rights law.     

大学生宗教信仰状况调查与思考——以海南大学城三所高校为例

课题组问卷调查显示,海南高校有宗教信仰的学生占被调查学生的9.7%,女生信教比例稍高于男生,农村学生信教比例稍高于城镇学生,信教学生中信仰佛教比例高于其他宗教。海南大学生对国家宗教信仰政策认识模糊,对信仰宗教持宽容态度。要在实际工作中理性看待大学生宗教信仰问题,加强社会主义核心价值体系教育,构建"四位一体"的马克思主义宗教观教育体系,注重培养大学生高度自觉的理论自信和信仰自信。     

西方科学家的宗教情结

近代自然科学首先在西方宗教背景中发展,许多有伟大成就的西方科学家普遍具有极其浓烈的宗教情结,浸透着一种宗教精神。在他们看来,科学和宗教之间存在着牢固的相互关系和依存性。但是,宗教和科学毕竟是两种信仰体系,两者之间会存在一定的张力。这种张力对文明的发展是有好处的,不能简单地判断谁对谁错。     

Philosophical Approaches of Religious Jewish Science Teachers Toward the Teaching of ‘Controversial’ Topics in Science

This research examines the problems that religious Jewish science teachers in Israeli high schools have in coping with science subjects (such as geological time) which conflict with their religious beliefs. We do this by characterizing the philosophical approaches within Judaism that such teachers have adopted for dealing with such controversy. Thus, we surveyed 56 religious teachers using a Likert‐type questionnaire developed for this research, as well as interviewed 11 teachers to more deeply probe their approaches. In addition, we surveyed 15 religious scientists, so that we could both contrast their views with our teacher samples as well as to better understand their coping strategies when confronted by scientific topics that challenge their beliefs. Results indicated that no single philosophical approach earned overwhelming support from the teachers or scientists. Instead, most of the subjects relate separately to each source of possible conflict in accordance with the philosophical approach that appears to be the most fruitful for resolving such conflicts. Moreover, both the scientists and the teachers felt less conflicted toward the specific subject of geological time, in comparison to issues connected to creation of the earth and (especially) evolution. The teachers did differ from the scientists in their preference toward philosophical approaches which help them better integrate the domains of science and religion. Based on our findings, we are able to suggest a set of strategies to help teachers overcome their difficulties in teaching ‘controversial’ science topics to a religiously oriented student population.     

Religious belief: the main impact on the perception of the nature of science on student teachers

This study aims to examine the affect of the degree of religiosity of student teachers, and their nationalism and scientific background on their perception of the nature of science (NOS). First year Arab and Jewish religiously observant, traditional and secular students in Israel (101 in number) with different scientific backgrounds participated in the study. The students completed a closed questionnaire with 35 statements that explored diverse aspects of the perception of the NOS. The findings show that previous scientific knowledge or belonging to the Jewish or Arab nation barely impacts the perceptions of the NOS. In contrast, religious belief, whether Jewish or Muslim, had significant impact. The more religious the students the greater weight they afforded culture and society versus science, and their support of the freedom of inquiry and of the tentativeness of science declined. The educational implications of the findings are discussed in view of the social increase in dogmatic religious belief alongside the unreserved exacerbated skepticism of every truth. Emphasis is placed on reinforcing the liberal dialogue approach that does not fear criticizing tradition, according to which it is possible to educate to critical thought without negating religious belief.     

Training Preschoolers on First‐Order False Belief Understanding: Transfer on Advanced ToM Skills and Metamemory

This study investigated the relation between theory of mind (ToM) and metamemory knowledge using a training methodology. Sixty‐two 4‐ to 5‐year‐old children were recruited and randomly assigned to one of two training conditions: A first‐order false belief (ToM) and a control condition. Intervention and control groups were equivalent at pretest for age, parents' education, verbal ability, inhibition, and ToM. Results showed that after the intervention children in the ToM group improved in their first‐order false belief understanding significantly more than children in the control condition. Crucially, the positive effect of the ToM intervention was stable over 2 months and generalized to more complex ToM tasks and metamemory.     

试论自然科学家与宗教信仰的关系——宗教信仰能促进自然科学研究吗？

自然科学家与宗教的关系成为时下的一个热门话题,＂科学家信教＂甚至成为那些护教学者的＂杀手锏＂。这正有力不过地表明了,科学的巨大飞速发展已经确实使得宗教的地位江河日下,宗教已经沦落到要攀附科学来谋传播,靠科学家的青睐而求生存,昔日至高无上的主宰不得不向＂奴婢＂低眉屈膝。＂科学家信教＂这一＂杀手锏＂其实是虚假的,因为没有一个自然科学家是依靠其宗教信仰而取得科学成就的,宗教信仰在科学家的科研活动中根本起不了积极作用。     

简析科学家的宗教情结--兼论科学与信仰的关系

科学家的宗教情结是指科学家信仰宗教或者具有宗教情怀。在科学史上,大多数西方科学家都具有宗教情结。科学家的宗教情结主要表现为科学家信仰宗教和宗教精神及宗教情怀支配着科学家的人生。产生原因是多方面的,其中最根本的原因是人类精神生活的需要与宗教精神的契合,科学和宗教之间的某种一致性,科学自身的局限性和负面影响等。科学家宗教情结的本质是人类的形而上追求或者说终极关怀,反映了科学精神与人文精神之间的互补性。科学家的宗教情结对于科学家的人生和科学活动具有不可忽视的影响和作用。     

Whose Science and Whose Religion? Reflections on the Relations between Scientific and Religious Worldviews

Arguments about the relationship between science and religion often proceed by identifying a set of essential characteristics of scientific and religious worldviews and arguing on the basis of these characteristics for claims about a relationship of conflict or compatibility between them. Such a strategy is doomed to failure because science, to some extent, and religion, to a much larger extent, are cultural phenomena that are too diverse in their expressions to be characterized in terms of a unified worldview. In this paper I follow a different strategy. Having offered a loose characterization of the nature of science, I pose five questions about specific areas where religious and scientific worldviews may conflict—questions about the nature of faith, the belief in a God or Gods, the authority of sacred texts, the relationship between scientific and religious conceptions of the mind/soul, and the relationship between scientific and religious understandings of moral behavior. My review of these questions will show that they cannot be answered unequivocally because there is no agreement amongst religious believers as to the meaning of important religious concepts. Thus, whether scientific and religious worldviews conflict depends essentially upon whose science and whose religion one is considering. In closing, I consider the implications of this conundrum for science education.     

成都高校学生信仰状况研究

目的研究成都高校学生信仰现状的特点及模式。方法采用社会态度调查问卷对成都市两所高校的大三、大四、研一、研二学生进行取样调查。结果成都高校学生精神、伦理、国家社会信仰得分较物质、宗教神灵信仰为高;孝道因子在性别上、年级间存在非常明显的差异;文学类专业学生在宗教神灵信仰上的得分很低。结论成都高校学生对精神、伦理、国家社会信仰追求程度较强,对物质、宗教神灵信仰的追求处于模糊状态;女生、研一学生对孝道的追求处于模糊状态;文学类专业学生不太追求宗教神灵信仰。     

Learning about evolution and rejecting a belief in special creation: Effects of reflective reasoning skill,prior knowledge,prior belief and religious commitment

Students in three sections of a high school biology course were taught a unit on evolution and natural selection. Prior to instruction, students were pretested to determine their (a) reflective reasoning skill, (b) strength of religious commitment, (c) prior declarative knowledge of evolution and natural selection, and (d) beliefs in evolution or special creation and related religiously oriented beliefs. Following instruction the measures of declarative knowledge and beliefs were readministered. The study was designed to test (a) the hypothesis that the acquisition of domain-specific concepts and the modification of nonscientific beliefs largely depends upon reflective reasoning skill, not prior declarative knowledge; and (b) the hypothesis that strength of religious commitment and a belief in special creation hinder the acquisition of scientific beliefs. Although instruction produced no overall shift toward a belief in evolution, as predicted, reflective reasoning skill was significantly related to initial scientific beliefs, and reflective reasoning skill, but not prior declarative knowledge, was significantly related to gains in declarative knowledge. Reflective reasoning skill, however, was not significantly related to changes in beliefs. Also as predicted, strength of religious commitment was negatively correlated with initial belief in evolution and with a change in belief toward evolution. Interrelationships among the study's major variables, as well as educational implications, are discussed.     

肃北蒙古人的宗教信仰特征

肃北蒙古人的先民大约从18世纪60年代起就陆续进入了今天的肃北地区。在特定的社会历史环境中，他们借鉴吸收了周围诸多民族的文化元素，不断适应新的社会文化环境，形成了自己独具风格的文化特征。为了进一步认识扣了解肃北蒙古人文化在社会转型中的现状尤其是宗教文化的现状，笔者对甘肃省肃北蒙古族自治县进行过扎实的田野调查。经调查发现当今肃北蒙古人社会生活中大量残存古老萨满教信仰习俗。并部分习俗与现令的佛教信仰交融为一体；除此肃北蒙古人佛教信仰的独具特色之处是其僧俗不分现象；另外如今肃北蒙古人信仰出现了多样化扣弱势化趋势便构成了他们宗教信仰的特征。     

宗教形态的心理学述评——心理学的五种历史形态考察之三

宗教的心理学是心理学的一个重要的历史形态。宗教心理学可以有两种不同的含义。一是科学的含义或是科学传统中的宗教心理学,是科学家运用科学方法对宗教心理的研究。这是科学心理学的一个分支。二是宗教的含义或是宗教传统中的宗教心理学,是宗教家按照宗教的方式对人的心理行为的说明、解释和干预。后者既是宗教活动提供的传统文化资源,同时也是现代科学心理学的传统历史资源。宗教中的心理学提供了关于人的信仰心理方面的重要的阐释、以及干预人的心理皈依的重要的方式。这为科学心理学的发展和进步提供了非常丰富和重要的心理学思想理论、心理学研究方法、心理学干预技术。心理学的创新就必须提取宗教的心理学中的资源。     

A Mythical Realist Orientation for Religious Education: Theological and Pedagogical Implications of the Mythical Nature of Religious Story

This article proposes a concept of “mythical realism” as a way of understanding important characteristics of religion and orienting religious education. The focus is on beliefs as one central aspect of religion. The author draws on recent cognitive studies in religion to illumine the “counterintuitive” and “mythic” character of religious belief, while also arguing that religious thinking should be and commonly is held together with “intuitive,” “scientific” understandings of experiential reality. A case is made for the enhancement of “mythical realist” religious understanding as a fundamental goal of religious education. Pedagogical suggestions are given for nurturing such mythical realist faith.     

西方宗教与中国马克思主义信仰教育模式的比较研究

马克思主义信仰是科学的信仰,对个人发展、社会进步、国家富强具有重要意义。当前,大学生信仰教育陷入学生信教、功利主义、脱离实际和信仰多元化的困境,西方宗教教育却呈现出繁荣发展的态势。通过西方宗教信仰教育与中国马克思主义信仰教育特点与模式对比分析,甄别西方宗教信仰中有益的教育模式,针对马克思主义信仰教育中的软肋,提出显隐共存、软硬兼施、弘扬博爱和强调精神四点对策,以提高我国马克思主义信仰教育的有效性。     

宗教视野里的彝族支系俐侎人

俐侎人的原始宗教信仰表现为灵魂崇拜、祖先崇拜、自然崇拜等方面,这些信仰是他们文化生活的重要组成部分,是他们的精神支柱和行动指南.他们的宗教信仰里面既有族群历史的记忆,同时也是他们家园生活的反映.     

对宗教和党的宗教信仰自由政策的几点认识

宗教信仰问题与民族团结和社会稳定息息相关.要处理好宗教问题,就必须在科学认识宗教的起源和实质的基础上,全面领会并正确贯彻党的宗教信仰自由政策.     

Make Me an Instrument of Your Peace: Honoring Religious Diversity and Modeling Respect for Faiths Through Children’s Literature

Understanding and respecting young children’s religious background is an important way of respecting diversity. Due to the traditional separation of church and state, many professionals tend to ignore the significant influence of religious belief and training during the early childhood years. Sharing high-quality picture books simultaneously enables adults and peers to expand their understandings of different faiths and to communicate their respect for and interest in young children’s religious education. This editorial concludes with a selective list of picture book titles that focus on different faiths that are suitable for children in the primary grades.