Anthropogenic climate change (ACC) and evolution are examples of issues that are perceived differently by scientists and the general public. Within the scientific community, there are clear consensuses that human activities are increasing global temperatures (ACC) and that evolutionary mechanisms have led to the biodiversity of life on Earth (evolution). However, there is much debate in the public discourse about the scientific evidence supporting these topics. The purpose of our study was to explore the relationship between a student’s need for cognition (NFC) – preference to engage in and enjoy thinking – and the student’s acceptance of ACC and evolution. The results revealed that students with a higher NFC were more accepting of both ACC and evolution. Future investigations should include evaluating the efficacy of different instructional techniques on NFC and acceptance of polarizing topics such as evolution and ACC.
Skip Nav Destination
Article navigation
April 2015
Research Article|
April 01 2015
Considering the Role of “Need for Cognition” in Students’ Acceptance of Climate Change & Evolution
Jeremy Kudrna,
Jeremy Kudrna
1JEREMY KUDRNA ([email protected]) graduated with a B.S. in Neuroscience from the College of Biological Sciences at the University of Minnesota in 2013, earned an M.S. in Medical Sciences from the University of South Florida College of Medicine Graduate Programs in 2014, and is currently working as an Emergency Room Medical Scribe at the University of Colorado Hospital in Aurora, CO 80045.
Search for other works by this author on:
Marta Shore,
Marta Shore
2MARTA SHORE ([email protected]) is a teaching specialist in the School of Statistics, College of Liberal Arts, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455.
Search for other works by this author on:
Deena Wassenberg
Deena Wassenberg
3DEENA WASSENBERG ([email protected]) is a Teaching Associate Professor in the Department of Biology Teaching and Learning at the University of Minnesota, 1475 Gortner Ave., St. Paul, MN 55108.
Search for other works by this author on:
The American Biology Teacher (2015) 77 (4): 250–257.
Citation
Jeremy Kudrna, Marta Shore, Deena Wassenberg; Considering the Role of “Need for Cognition” in Students’ Acceptance of Climate Change & Evolution. The American Biology Teacher 1 April 2015; 77 (4): 250–257. doi: https://doi.org/10.1525/abt.2015.77.4.4
Download citation file:
Sign in
Don't already have an account? Register
Client Account
You could not be signed in. Please check your email address / username and password and try again.
Could not validate captcha. Please try again.