A Role for Epistemic Insight in Attitude and Belief Change? Lessons from a Cross-curricular Course on Evolution and Creation

This paper presents findings from a quasi-experimental study evaluating future teachers’ attitudes and beliefs in response to a cross-curricular university course on evolution and creation bridging biological and Christian theological perspectives. Based on previous findings, we hypothesized that a course providing learning opportunities for epistemic insight within this multidisciplinary arena might have effects on attitudes and beliefs relevant to the field. Hence, the main research question was the following: To what extent do student teachers’ attitudes and beliefs change by attending a cross-curricular course on evolution and creation intended to develop student teachers’ epistemic insight into the nature of science and into the relationship between science and theology? The answer from this quasi-experimental evaluation study (pre–post-design; test group n =?26, control group n =?24) is as follows: It depends upon the variable investigated! Pre–post-analysis using a repeated measures ANOVA revealed that the cross-curricular course integrating epistemic insight induced changes in creationist beliefs, in students’ perception of conflict, and in acceptance of evolution. In contrast, there was no effect on attitudes toward evolutionary theory, on attitudes toward the Biblical accounts of creation, or on scientistic beliefs. However, when student responses were analyzed individually, case-based evidence for belief change in students with scientistic positions emerged. Among the reasons for those different effects, we discuss conceptual differences between attitude and acceptance, features of the student teacher sample, and the particular content of the course explicitly addressing creationism but not scientism. In conclusion, the paper corroborates the role of epistemic insight in the multidisciplinary field of evolution and creation and provides initial evidence that epistemic insight possesses a particular potential concerning positions at both ends of the spectrum.     

How Fading Worked Solution Steps Works – A Cognitive Load Perspective

In order to facilitate the transition fromlearning from worked examples in earlier stagesof skill acquisition to problem solving inlater stages, it is effective to successivelyfade out worked solution steps – in comparisonto the traditional method of employingexample-problem pairs that is frequently usedin cognitive-load research. In the presentstudies, the learning processes and mechanismsthat occur when learning in a computer-basedlearning environment containing faded workedsolution steps were examined across twoexperiments. The first experiment showed thatthe position of the faded steps did notinfluence learning outcomes; instead,individuals learned most about those principlesthat were faded. This suggested that specificself-explanation activities are triggered byfaded steps. The second experiment investigatedthis hypothesis directly by collecting andanalyzing thinking-aloud protocols generated bythe learners during their interaction with thelearning environment. No effect on productivelearning events including self-explanationscould be found. It could, however, be shownthat fading is associated with fewerunproductive learning events and, thereby,lends itself to better learning outcomes.     

Presumed Media Influences and Demands for Restrictions: Using Panel Data to Examine the Causal Direction

In line with theoretical approaches, such as the influence of presumed influence approach, many studies have shown that the stronger individuals perceive the media’s influence to be on others, the more the individuals demand restrictions on the media and its influence. However, these studies provided information only about the correlation between the two constructs and did not test the direction of their causal relationship. To close this research gap, a two-wave panel study among German citizens was conducted. The results show that, rather than being the other way around, it is the presumed strength of online media’s political influence on others that affects demands for restrictions. Moreover, the findings indicate that the presumed political influence of online media on others also affects the presumed reach of online media.     

Christian Education and the Image of the Pharisees

In this article the author presents ways in which one problem in intergroup relations may be handled by writers of Protestant church school materials. This is based on his intensive analysis of curriculum materials for their intergroup content in the Yale Intergroup Research Project.     

Reading and writing self-efficacy of incarcerated adults

This paper is the first to examine the Reading and Writing Self-Efficacy Scale among incarcerated adults. The aim was to examine whether performance of reading and spelling tests (Reading Speed, Nonsense Words and Spelling) explained individual differences in the participants' efficacy beliefs in reading and writing. Six hundred subjects rated their efficacy beliefs in reading and writing, and 92 of them were also sampled for a reading and spelling test. Factor analysis yielded a two-factor solution dividing the reading items and writing items into separate factors and hierarchical regression analysis revealed that education level and test performance accounted for 36.9% and 34.9% of the statistical variance in reading self-efficacy and writing self-efficacy, respectively. The results suggest that assessment of self-efficacy in reading and writing should be included in a screening procedure of reading and spelling difficulties.     

Insightful learning in the laboratory: Some experiences from 10 years of designing and using conceptual labs

This paper describes a series of projects on the design and implementation of ‘conceptual labs’ aimed at developing insightful learning, following work that began in 1994/1995. The main focus has been on courses in mechanics and electric circuit theory. The approach taken in designing these innovative curricula can be described as ‘design-based research’. A common feature in these learning environments is the use of technology as a tool to aid students’ inquiry. In addition, systematic variation, based on the theory of variation, has been introduced into the design of the assigned tasks. Results from conceptual inventories have demonstrated the success of conceptual labs. In the later projects, video recording was used to study students’ courses of action in labs. This paper describes how these studies have provided insights into conditions that are critical for learning and how these insights have helped the present author and his co-workers make further improvements to learning environments.     

Effectiveness of visual and verbal prompts in training visuospatial processing skills in school age children

Recent decades have witnessed a growing interest in intervention-based assessment to promote and enhance children’s learning. In this study, we explored the potential effect of an experimental visual–spatial intervention procedure and possible training benefits of two prompting modalities: one group received training with verbal and visual prompts, a second group training with visual prompts only, while a third, control group did not receive any training. The two training methods led to significant improvements of performance in visuospatial tasks as compared to control group, and they did so about equally well. Our findings provide evidence for the efficiency and benefits of interventions targeting visuospatial processing skills. The success of such interventions does not seem to be bounded by age or gender, and it seems that visual cues are particularly effective.