Within the context of investigating belief systems, this work exemplifies a mixed-method approach. Two approaches are utilized to explore the philosophical, ontological, and epistemological assumptions that university students foster regarding the relationships between knowledge and reality. In the first step, written materials that elaborated on the matter at hand were subjected to content analysis with the assistance of Leximancer, a software that recognizes themes and concepts and turns textual data into concept maps that express networks of meaning. The second step involved conducting a cluster analysis on the data obtained from the questionnaire to identify distinct groups of participants who shared consistent epistemological viewpoints. The results obtained from the two approaches are in agreement and shed light on the prevalent epistemic inclination that favors a constructivist viewpoint. Discussion on the ramifications of the findings, as well as the methodological issues that are pertinent to the present illustration, is provided.

The introduction of evolution in post-apartheid South Africa in 2008 presented significant challenges for teachers, due to both their own and their students' faith-based biases. This study investigates South African teachers' attitudes and understanding of evolution, utilizing Lemkian sociocultural theory and Vygotskian ZPD scaffolding. A mixed-methods approach was employed, including a Likert-scale questionnaire from 91 life science teachers and qualitative insights from open-ended questions. Results reveal a lack of enthusiasm for teaching evolution, influenced by personal religious beliefs and doubts about its scientific validity. Teachers often call for equal representation of evolution and creationism in classrooms. The preparation of teachers must address the stagnant discussion of evolution, while the life sciences curriculum emphasizes the Nature of Science, scientific literacy, and connections between science and society is compromised.