Scientism, creationism or category error? A cross‐age survey of secondary school students’ perceptions of the relationships between science and religion

Journal article

Billingsley, B., Taber, K. and Nassaji, M. 2020. Scientism, creationism or category error? A cross‐age survey of secondary school students’ perceptions of the relationships between science and religion. The Curriculum Journal. 32 (2), pp. 334-358. https://doi.org/10.1002/curj.83
AuthorsBillingsley, B., Taber, K. and Nassaji, M.
Abstract

We report on a survey of 1717 students at two different points of their secondary school education. This survey is designed to discover their reasoning about scientific and religious accounts of the origins of the universe and life. The study was motivated by a concern, based on previous research, that factors such as the compartmentalised curriculum may limit students’ progression in interdisciplinary reasoning and their capacities to appreciate why science and religion are not necessarily incompatible. To investigate these matters, we gathered data in seven secondary schools in England. The findings indicated that a significant proportion of students are working with a poor understanding of the limits of science and of the range of scholarly positions on the nature of religious explanation. The implications of the results for educational theory and practice are discussed.

KeywordsEducation
Year2020
JournalThe Curriculum Journal
Journal citation32 (2), pp. 334-358
PublisherWiley
ISSN0958-5176
1469-3704
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)https://doi.org/10.1002/curj.83
Official URLhttps://bera-journals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/curj.83
FunderJohn Templeton Foundation
Publication dates
Online13 Oct 2020
PrintJun 2021
Publication process dates
Deposited18 Nov 2020
Publisher's version
License
File Access Level
Open
Output statusPublished
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https://repository.canterbury.ac.uk/item/8wv68/scientism-creationism-or-category-error-a-cross-age-survey-of-secondary-school-students-perceptions-of-the-relationships-between-science-and-religion

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