An exploratory study on students’ denominations, personal religious faith, knowledge about, and acceptance of evolution

Abstract

Abstract Background The theory of evolution serves as an overarching scientific principle for all areas of biology. Hence, knowledge about and acceptance of evolution are indispensable for holistic education. However, the levels of knowledge about and acceptance of evolution vary greatly. It is supposed that insufficient knowledge and lack of acceptance are associated with high personal religious faith and affiliated denominations. Therefore, it is fundamental to examine knowledge about and acceptance of evolution, personal religious faith, and denomination. Results We conducted an exploratory study with German upper secondary school students (N = 172). Firstly, the results showed a weak to moderate correlation between knowledge about and acceptance of evolution. Secondly, students of different denominations differed in their knowledge about evolution, use of key concepts, acceptance of evolution, and personal religious faith but not in their use of misconceptions. Thirdly, the findings revealed that a student’s denomination predicts knowledge level, whereas personal religious faith predicts acceptance. Conclusions Our exploratory study indicates that, in addition to the strength of personal religious faith, the denomination may be critical to knowledge about and acceptance of evolution.