A Sense of Home: The Impact of Church Participation on African American College Students

Bridging sociology of religion to transition to adulthood: The emerging role of religion in young adults’ lives

“…Not to mention, prior studies have made it clear that there are mutually overlapping and co-determining relationships between individual, familial, and religious institutionallevel factors. For example, religious attendance and participation in youth group ministries reinforce young people's religiosity and personal values (Donahoo and Caffey, 2010;Eggebeen and Dew, 2009). Parents' religious fervor and affiliation are also important to understand young adults' religious socialization.…”

“…This is also consistent with the trend that although increasing numbers of young adults are not affiliated to institutional religions, some of them still maintain individualized practices such as Bible reading and individual prayers, labeling themselves as 'spiritual' than 'religious' (Smith and Snell, 2009). Moreover, some studies highlight the significance of religion for certain racial ethnic minority groups, if not for all, and in certain social contexts (Donahoo and Caffey, 2010;Nelson et al, 2004), depending on gender, level of income and education, and religious groups (Smith and Snell, 2009).…”

Partnering With a Higher Power

“…Religious and spiritual people, and the institutions with which they are associated, have a long history of influencing the educational opportunities and experiences of African Americans (Barrett, 2010; McCray, Grant, & Beachum, 2010; Walker & Dixon, 2002). Although the type of support can vary from person to person and from institution to institution, the general consensus is that there are positive relationships between and among African Americans, religiosity, spirituality, and educational aspirations and experiences (Al-Fadhli & Kersen, 2010; Donahoo & Caffey, 2010; Jeynes, 2003; Sang, Ana, & Clark, 2007; Walker & Dixon, 2002). There is a specific body of literature that states that African American students, who attend public schools and live in urban areas, are particularly likely to benefit from these types of relationships (Jeynes, 2003; Timmermans & Booker, 2006; Williams, Davis, Cribbs, Saunders, & Williams, 2002).…”

“…Yet, in spite of the consistent evidence regarding the positive nature of these relationships, there have been very few formal, systematic, and organized partnerships between public education and religious institutions in supporting academic advancement for African American students. As others have also suggested, the paucity of these types of partnerships may be attributed to the separation between church and state (Donahoo & Caffey, 2010; Sang et al, 2007), incongruent philosophical orientations (Timmermans & Booker, 2006), or lack of community cohesion (Tsoi-A-Fatt, 2008). Nonetheless, studies regarding partnerships between educational institutions and places of worship, and studies that have demonstrated a relationship between and among students’ religiosity, spirituality, educational aspirations and experiences, generally reveal encouraging outcomes.…”

“…There is considerable research that shows that African American students’ religious and spiritual beliefs have been positively related to their engagement with and success in academic pursuits (Al-Fadhli & Kersen, 2010; Sang et al, 2007; Walker & Dixon, 2002). Research also reveals that students’ affiliation with others who hold similar religious and/or spiritual beliefs positively influences students’ educational outcomes (Donahoo & Caffey, 2010; Williams et al, 2002). Finally, these types of results are often magnified for students from urban areas and students from less resourced neighborhoods (Jeynes, 2003; Regnerus & Elder, 2003).…”