Evolution has historically been a topic in biology that is fraught with controversy, and a conflict between religion and evolution is often assumed. If students perceive that evolution is in conflict with their religious beliefs, it can have negative ramifications for their learning of evolution and attitudes toward science. However, religion and evolution have been argued to be compatible. An instructor can incorporate a discussion of this compatibility into their teaching, but the impact of this on students’ perceptions of compatibility is still unknown. In this study, we describe a two-week module on evolution with embedded discussion about compatibility between religion and evolution. We surveyed introductory biology students before and after this evolution module about whether they thought evolution and religion could be compatible. We found that the evolution module reduced the number of students who perceived a conflict between evolution and religion by 50 percent. Unexpectedly, perceived conflict between religion and evolution was reduced for both religious and nonreligious students. These results indicate that how instructors present a module on evolution can have an impact on student perceptions of compatibility between religion and evolution.

Improvements in therapy have resulted in increasing numbers of children being successfully treated for cancer. However, the aggressiveness of therapy and uncertainty about prognosis are associated with many adverse effects, psychological as well as physical, for both the child and family. This study investigates family coping with treatment in relation to attributions about cause and responsibility for onset of the disease. We interviewed parents of 30 children with cancer (28 mothers and 23 fathers) about their attributions of causality, and perceptions of responsibility for the diagnosis and care of the child. Coping strategies which were found to be helpful were assessed using the Coping Health Inventory for Parents (CHIP). Fathers were more likely than mothers to accept that there was no known cause for the child's illness. Fathers who blamed doctors for failing to diagnose the condition found medical staff less helpful up to 2 years later. The theoretical importance of blaming others more than oneself is discussed, along with practical implications for services in paediatric oncology.

Value connotations, perspectives and self-perception.van der Pligt, J.; Eiser, J.R.

Nuclear energy, beliefs, values and acceptabilityvan der Pligt, J.; Eiser, J.R.

Nuclear energy, beliefs, values and acceptabilityvan der Pligt, J.; Eiser, J.R.