Ninth International Conference on Religion & Spirituality in Society

Abstract

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.