Shaping Schooling Success: Religious Socialization and Educational Outcomes in Metropolitan Public Schools

• Published in: Journal for the scientific study of religion Vol. 39; no. 3; pp. 363 - 370
• Main Author: Regnerus, Mark D.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Boston, USA and Oxford, UK Blackwell Publishers Inc 01.09.2000; Blackwell Publishers, Inc; Blackwell; Blackwell Publishing Ltd
• Subjects: Academic Achievement; Catholicism; Christianity; Churches; Contemporary period; Extracurricular activities; General subjects; High School Students; High Schools; History and sciences of religions; Metropolitan Areas; Neighborhood schools; Outcomes of education; Public Schools; Religion; Religiosity; Religious Beliefs; Socialization; Socialization Agents; Socioeconomic status; Sociological studies; United States of America; United States of America; Study; Church; Progress; Relation; Commitment; Education
• ISSN: 0021-8294; 1468-5906
• DOI: 10.1111/0021-8294.00030

This paper analyzes religious socialization as it relates to schooling success. I propose and test a multilevel model of involvement in church activities as providing integration and motivation toward schooling success among metropolitan U.S. public high school sophomores. Results indicate that respondents' participation in church activities is related to heightened educational expectations, and that these more intensely religious students score higher on standardized math/reading tests, even while controlling for variables that often show religious effects to be spurious. The hypothesis that church involvement's effect varies by ecological context -- it being a better predictor for students in poorer neighborhoods than average or wealthy neighborhoods -- was not supported.