Acceptance of evolution by high school students: Is religion the key factor?

The idea of biological evolution is not accepted by many people around the world, with a large disparity amongst countries. Some factors may act as obstacles to the acceptance of evolution, such as religion, a lack of openness to experience, and not understanding the nature of science. Although the strength of the association between evolution acceptance and non-scientific factors varies among studies, it is often assumed that resistance to evolution is the byproduct of a religious background. Some studies are even more specific and try to associate the acceptance of evolution with precise religious affiliations. We aimed to explore the strength of associations among nationality, religion, and the acceptance of evolution by students using multiple correspondence analysis (MCA) and statistical tools, with nationwide samples from two different countries. Here, we show that wider sociocultural factors predict the acceptance of evolution to a higher degree than a religious background. We carried out two nationwide data collections that allowed us to compare differences in the acceptance of evolution in Italy and Brazil by high school students who declare to belong to the same religion in the two countries. Roman Catholic students showed significant differences between the two countries, and the gap between them was wider than between Catholics and non-Catholic Christians within Brazil. Our conclusions support those who argue that religious affiliation is not the main factor in predicting the level of evolution acceptance. The sociocultural environment and the level of evolutionary knowledge seem to be more important in this regard. These results open up new interpretative perspectives and provide a better understanding of attitudes towards evolution.

Amazon conservation and students' interests for biodiversity: The need to boost science education in Brazil.

Brazilian high school students took part in an international research program in the period 2007-2014, and a data bank with national significance was created. SPSS TwoStep clustering analysis indicated two homogeneous groups regarding the level of interest for the surrounding biodiversity. Amazonian students were among the high-interest group and would like to study more deeply local living beings, contrary to the tendency to favor large exotic animals in Brazilian biology curricula. Students from the southeast were grouped in the low-interest group. However, students from both regions agree upon the urgent need for actions to protect the environment and strongly disagree that this is a role expected from rich countries only. Given the importance of the local communities in conservation and the current prominence of young people in environmental issues, a boost in science education is needed in Brazil, enhancing the study of rainforest biota in the Brazilian curricula.

[Health in school: an examination of the reference documents for the forty years of compulsory health programs, 1971-2011]. / A saúde na escola: análise dos documentos de referência nos quarenta anos de obrigatoriedade dos programas de saúde, 1971-2011.

Health is a traditional subject in Brazilian school curriculums, and is evident in teaching materials since the end of the nineteenth century. Taking as its starting point the establishment of compulsory development of health programs in 1971, this article aims to examine certain official documents which sought to set out guidelines for health education in schools, as regards the actual conception of health, the objectives to be achieved, and the role of health studies in the general education of pupils. The analysis highlights an important lack of reference points for regulating health education in schools, and points out ideas which have remained unaltered, despite the social changes and theoretical advances that have occurred during the period.

A saúde na escola: análise dos documentos de referência nos quarenta anos de obrigatoriedade dos programas de saúde, 1971-2011 / Health in school: an examination of the reference documents for the forty years of compulsory health programs, 1971-2011

O tema da saúde é tradicional nos currículos escolares no Brasil, podendo ser visto em materiais didáticos desde o final do século XIX. Definindo como ponto de partida o estabelecimento da obrigatoriedade do desenvolvimento dos programas de saúde em 1971, este artigo analisa alguns documentos oficiais que buscaram traçar diretrizes para a educação em saúde no âmbito escolar quanto à concepção de saúde expressa, aos objetivos a alcançar e ao papel da educação em saúde na formação geral dos alunos. A análise aponta para uma importante carência de referências que orientem o ensino da saúde na escola, assim como para ideias que permanecem inalteradas, a despeito das mudanças sociais e dos avanços teóricos ocorridos no período.

Health is a traditional subject in Brazilian school curriculums, and is evident in teaching materials since the end of the nineteenth century. Taking as its starting point the establishment of compulsory development of health programs in 1971, this article aims to examine certain official documents which sought to set out guidelines for health education in schools, as regards the actual conception of health, the objectives to be achieved, and the role of health studies in the general education of pupils. The analysis highlights an important lack of reference points for regulating health education in schools, and points out ideas which have remained unaltered, despite the social changes and theoretical advances that have occurred during the period.

A saúde na escola: análise dos documentos de referência nos quarenta anos de obrigatoriedade dos programas de saúde, 1971-2011 / Health in school: an examination of the reference documents for the forty years of compulsory health programs, 1971-2011

O tema da saúde é tradicional nos currículos escolares no Brasil, podendo ser visto em materiais didáticos desde o final do século XIX. Definindo como ponto de partida o estabelecimento da obrigatoriedade do desenvolvimento dos programas de saúde em 1971, este artigo analisa alguns documentos oficiais que buscaram traçar diretrizes para a educação em saúde no âmbito escolar quanto à concepção de saúde expressa, aos objetivos a alcançar e ao papel da educação em saúde na formação geral dos alunos. A análise aponta para uma importante carência de referências que orientem o ensino da saúde na escola, assim como para ideias que permanecem inalteradas, a despeito das mudanças sociais e dos avanços teóricos ocorridos no período. (AU)

Eugenia: quando a bilogia faz falta ao cidadao

A partir da polemica levantada pela publicacao do livro The Bell Curve nos Estados Unidos, este artigo apresenta um historico das pregacoes eugenicas, retomando os enunciados eugenicos originais, desde Francis Galton, e seus pressupostos darwinianoa. O artigo procura mostrar o contexto em que as ideias de 'melhoramento da raca' se estabeleceram. Na Inglaterra, isso significou sobretudo uma discriminacao contra os pobres, sem vinculo direto com a cor da pele. No Brasil, a introducao do ideario eugenico pode ser localizada na literatura a partir do inicio deste seculo. Sua implementacao teve como palco o ambiente educacional.