The Coconstruction of Scientific and Nonscientific Belief Systems in Educators

Abstract

This work sets out to indicate whether certain beliefs, be they religious convictions or pseudoscientific beliefs, are related in some way and contribute to poor scientific understanding. Educators were probed for their understanding of natural phenomena in the form of a questionnaire, and correlations were determined between specific questions. There were more interquestion significant correlations in the Greek sample but not in the Irish sample. We found a range of beliefs and abilities concerning answers on evolution, genetics, alternative medicine, and cosmology. However, the ability to answer scientific questions well was not linked significantly to holding religious beliefs.

KEYWORDS:

• belief construction
• belief systems
• science educators
• pseudoscientific beliefs