Education, Spirituality, and Religion
Is Religiosity a Risk or a Protective Factor? : The Connection between Religiosity and Deviance among Religious Youths
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Vered Ne'eman Haviv, Yael Wilchek Aviad, Chaim Lahav
The purpose of this preliminary study was to examine the connection between religiosity and deviance, focusing on the phenomenon of risk behavior among Jewish orthodox national-religious youth at-risk. The study was conducted by using qualitative research methods, using interviews with 66 participants in six focus groups among teenagers and young people at-risk, normative youth and professionals social educators working among the adolescents and young adults within the national-religious sector. Analysis of the research findings exposes several main themes that touch upon the issue of religion as both a protecting and a risk factor for religious youths, beginning with the question of personal identity, and continue with the influence of social control and social labeling.
The Spiritual Disciplines Project: Increasing Student Engagement in the World Religions Course
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Alice Wood
Students in an online world religion course are encouraged to try six traditional disciplines found in almost all of the world’s religions. Emphasizing common practices found in religious communities, including their own Christian tradition, encourages students new to religious studies to find commonalities instead of only differences. Practicing the disciplines in the Christian tradition allays fears of studying unfamiliar religions. The first three disciplines, to be practiced for three consecutive weeks, are the “inward” disciplines of prayer, fasting, and silence. The second three disciplines, to be practiced for another three consecutive weeks, are the “outward” disciplines of chastity, simplicity, and charity. After each of the three week periods, students write reflection papers on their experiences—both positive and negative—and connect their practice to spiritual disciplines around the world. Students’ personal accounts of both successes and failures with the disciplines themselves provide insight into the millennial generation’s values and struggles. The popularity of the project speaks to students’ desire for connection between learning and lived experience. Results and trends among student responses to the project will be presented, along with excerpts from student papers about their experiences of the various disciplines. Copies of teaching materials will be available to participants.
Religious Cognitive Beliefs, Emotional Attachment, and Behavioral Commitment and Its Relationship with the Self-regulation of Adolescents
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Leslie Chaundy
Research indicates that religion has played a vital role in the founding of the American nation as well as the American education system. However, over the years religion has been taken out of the educational realm and is no longer considered an important variable in impacting educational outcomes. Jeynes (2010) suggests that establishing a relationship with student outcomes is fundamental if one is to present a strong case for religious courses in schools. The purpose of this study is to examine the different aspects of the religiosity of youth and to determine whether they are associated with academic and behavioral outcomes. It is the hope that this study will distinguish among some of the different aspects of religiosity, shed further light on the potential impact of scripture reading and prayer in schools, and in some small way, demonstrate the importance of the role of religion in education. This study examined the National Study of Youth & Religion dataset which used both quantitative and qualitative methods along with cross sectional and longitudinal research designs. A randomized telephone survey of American youth was completed between 2002 and 2008 and participants included 3,290 adolescents ages 13-17, as well as their parents. To provide specific answers to the research questions, descriptive and inferential statistics were calculated on the original telephone survey (Wave 1 in 2003) using Statistical Produce and Service Solutions (SPSS) and included correlation, regression, and one-way anova tests. Overall, this study is important for education and has many implications for schools.
