Not a family matter: The effects of religiosity on academic outcomes based on evidence from siblings

Horwitz, Ilana M.; Domingue, Benjamin W.; Harris, Kathleen Mullan

doi:10.1016/j.ssresearch.2020.102426

Cited by 8 publications

(15 citation statements)

References 51 publications

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“…The existing evidence has been derived from observational approaches that inherently limit the scope of inference; consequently, there is uncertainty about whether the “effect” of religiosity on academic outcomes is causal or spurious. This concern was at the heart of the most recent study on religiosity and grades conducted by Horwitz et al (2020). They were concerned that the relationship observed in earlier studies linking religiosity and grades was spuriously driven by unmeasured family factors, such as parenting styles and childrearing practices.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…If so, the positive causal effect of religiosity on academic outcomes observed in prior studies would be overstated (Lehrer 2010). To examine whether associations between religiosity and academic success remain after accounting for unobserved family factors that affect both religiosity and academic outcomes, Horwitz et al (2020) used the family structure of Add Health and exploited the availability of sibling clusters to introduce family fixed effects. Using sibling comparison to control for measured and unmeasured family background characteristics, they found that more religious adolescents still earned better GPAs in high school.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Religion and Academic Achievement: A Research Review Spanning Secondary School and Higher Education

Horwitz

2021

Review of Religious Research

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Profound socio-economic disparities that exist among American religious groups are largely driven by the quantity and quality of education they receive. Furthermore, given the U.S. schooling system is rooted in Protestant ideals, it is possible that students with Protestant commitments have an academic advantage. This article synthesizes literature on how adolescents’ religious commitment and background are associated with their short- and long-term academic outcomes. A literature search identified 42 relevant studies published in 1990-present. These studies were reviewed to identify: (1) the mechanisms through which religion affects educational outcomes—moral, social, and cultural; (2) the main operationalized measures of religion— religious tradition and individual religiosity; and (3) the most frequent academic outcomes studied—secondary school grades, truancy, test scores, educational aspirations, and educational attainment. Of the 42 studies, 95% were based exclusively on quantitative survey data, 95% examined only religiosity or religious tradition, and 66% focused on educational attainment. There were three major findings. First, research has advanced from correlational studies to methodologically rigorous designs suggesting religion can play a causal role in academic success. Second, research reveals a religiosity-religious tradition paradox: Adolescents with stronger religiosity earn better grades, are less truant in secondary school, and complete more years of higher education. A large proportion of highly religious adolescents are likely to be conservative Protestants, but the research on religious tradition suggests that conservative Protestants are among the least educated religious groups. Third, it is unclear if religious adolescents only fare better on academic outcomes that reward their personality, such as grades, or whether they also perform better on more objective measures, such as standardized tests. This systematic review reveals a paradoxical “effect” of academic achievement and religiosity versus-religious tradition. The overall results indicate the need to: (a) identify the interaction between religious tradition and religiosity, (b) distinguish between subjective versus objective academic outcomes; (c) examine heterogeneity among non-religious adolescents; (d) study the interplay between institutional schooling and institutional religion; (e) investigate the religion/cultural match between teachers and students; (f) pursue qualitative research to better understand mechanisms; and (g) expand research about non-Christians.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Religion and Academic Achievement: A Research Review Spanning Secondary School and Higher Education

Horwitz

2021

Review of Religious Research

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“…This means that English proficiency does not relate to the students' religious commitment. However, the study from Horwitz et al (2020) found a positive association between religiosity commitment and English language achievement. They revealed that students with higher religious commitment pursued better grades in the English language.…”

Section: Religiosity Commitment and English Proficiencymentioning

confidence: 83%

Mediating Effects of English Proficiency on the Association Between Religiosity Commitment, Study Habits, Self-Study Concept, and Perceived Stress

Kader

Aziz

Dangi

2020

HSSR

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Purpose of the study: The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between religiosity commitment, self-study concept, study habits, and English proficiency. Besides, this paper aims to investigate the way English proficiency mediates the relationship between religiosity commitment, self-study concept, and study habits with perceived stress, respectively, among undergraduates, enrolled in a Management course. Methodology: A quantitative method was employed in this study involving 243 undergraduates of Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) Pahang. The respondent selection method employed a simple random sampling technique. A questionnaire survey was designed based on previous literature. Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) 22.0 and Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) using AMOS software were used to analyze and test all hypotheses developed. Main Findings: This study found a significant relationship between religiosity commitment, study habits, and self-study concept with English proficiency. The results also demonstrated a positive and significant relationship between English proficiency and perceived stress. Furthermore, the results of this study revealed that English proficiency mediated the relationship between religiosity commitment, study habits, self-study concept, and perceived stress. Applications of this study: This study is intended to provide insight for undergraduates to identify the critical factors that can contribute to their English proficiency. Furthermore, it can serve as a guideline and control mechanism for the university and lecturers to ensure the course will be delivered excellently, which will lead to an increase in English proficiency and reduce the stress level among university students. Novelty/Originality of this study: Due to the lack of research considering English proficiency as a mediator, this study will bridge the gap by examining the mediating role of English proficiency on the relationship between religiosity commitment, study habits, self-study concept, and perceived stress.

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“…Religiosity, according to them, is seen to help them control their academic stress and support their academic achievement. 44 Reducing academic stress enhances academic performance by motivating students to study hard yet face several challenges continuously. 45 Meanwhile, Muslim students also assume that their efforts in overcoming academic issues include obedience to Islamic teachings based on the Quranic verses description.…”

Section: Religiosity and Academic Stressmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Role of Religious Centre in Monash University: Perspective of Three Indonesian Muslim Students

Aflahah¹

2022

RJSAA

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This study aims to explore the perspective of three Indonesian Muslim students at Monash University concerning the availability of Religious Centre which facilitates some aspects of students’ spiritual inquiry. This study deals with the primary data through observation and semi-structured interviews as qualitative research. This research reveals that Religious Centre has a significant role in fulfilling students’ spiritual needs, including the prayer room for Muslim students, and also fosters students’ tolerance by putting prayer rooms for all religions in the same building. The university students found that Religious Centre is significant in preserving their religiosity and relieving them to perform prayers inside the campus. Likewise, it has eased students in managing academic challenges. In addition, this study found that Religious Centre has contributed to maintaining the religiosity of three Indonesian Muslim students: helping them cheering educational challenges and controlling their academic stresses.

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Not a family matter: The effects of religiosity on academic outcomes based on evidence from siblings

Cited by 8 publications

References 51 publications

Religion and Academic Achievement: A Research Review Spanning Secondary School and Higher Education

Religion and Academic Achievement: A Research Review Spanning Secondary School and Higher Education

Mediating Effects of English Proficiency on the Association Between Religiosity Commitment, Study Habits, Self-Study Concept, and Perceived Stress

The Role of Religious Centre in Monash University: Perspective of Three Indonesian Muslim Students

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