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Evolution Investigations into Understanding the Student Experience at the Intersection of Faith and Evolutionary Biology

By Sophia Wagle

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Research Question

How are students navigating the challenges of faith and learning evolutionary biology?

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  • Are adequate resources being provided to students?

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  • Is the ACU Biology department fostering a community of open discussion?

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  • Do students feel confident in their ability to approach these challenges?

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Methods

Investigate the Resources Available

Interview Current Students

Use a ground-theory approach for data analysis

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Investigating Resources

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Many of the resources offered by the ACU Biology fostered open discussion and investigation into the intersection of faith and evolutionary biology.

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Interviewing

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  • Interviews targeted current ACU students that are committed science majors that have had exposure to courses that taught evolutionary biology

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  • Interviews were adaptive and took on a conversation style in order to get at the root of their experience

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— Anonymous Participant

“I think that the ACU Biology Department does a great job at fostering an open community of discussion and learning. We are provided multiple opportunities to approach great professors and I think it will continue to prepare me for my future endeavors.”

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Results of the Interviews

Community

Almost all interviewed students participated in some form of community.

One-On-One

More than half of the participants mentioned that they felt comfortable approaching professors for one-on-one conversations.

Leadership

Students often cited that the leadership of professors and how they navigated those questions often inspired exploration.

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Future Work

  • Continue this work and investigate other groups of science individuals
  • Investigate how students can be further strengthened in becoming leaders when addressing other people
  • Begin conversations with the faculty of the ACU Biology about how we can continue to provide resources for our students

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Acknowledgements

I would like to thank Dr. Chris Flanders for being a highly supportive research mentor.

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Thank you to the ACU Biology Department for helping with recruitment.

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Thank you to my interview participants for their time and patience.

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Questions?