Outcomes of Christian Education
Dr. Patty LeBlanc
Southeastern University
Southeastern University
• Lakeland, Florida
• ~3000 undergraduate and
graduate students in fall 2009
• Christian, Pentecostal university
affiliated with the Assemblies of
God
• Approximately half of the
students come from Christian
high schools or home schools,
primarily in Florida, but also
world-wide
• 25% of student population is
minority
Purpose of the Study
The purpose of this research study was to
– examine the role that private Christian education
at the K-12 level plays in furthering the academic
and spiritual formation of its graduates;
– provide a better understanding of how Christian
education influences its graduates’ academic
achievement and spiritual formation;
– Inform Christian educators as to ways they can
better prepare young people to live out God’s call
on their lives and to serve Christ with distinction.
Research Phases
I. Online student survey of recent high school
graduates [within 4 years] from both public
and private Christian schools n=183
II. Face to face interviews with recent high
school graduates from both public and
private Christian schools
n=127
SEU Findings—
Phase I Survey--Academics
• Most students felt that they were adequately prepared for
college level work by their high schools, with the exception
of preparation for amount of reading required and college
level writing
• Ninety-two percent of the students responded very true or
mostly true to the statement that they take their studies
seriously and make classes a priority.
• Graduates of Christian schools reported that their high
school significantly influenced their response to the above
item compared to public school graduates p<.01
Public Schools
• More frequent physical and verbal bullying
– However, 50% of Christian school grads reported
occasional verbal bullying
• More frequent incidences of cheating and plagiarism, as well
as students disrespecting teachers and students
disrespecting students
• More frequent incidences of alcohol and drug use and teen
pregnancy
• Differences in all school problems at public schools
compared to Christian schools were statistically significant
(p<.001) except for plagiarism and teachers disrespecting
students.
Engaging Culture
• Among all students, 70% responded “very true” to
the item related to appreciating the multicultural
nature of the university.
• Ninety-four percent of the students indicated that
respecting the beliefs of others was very true or
mostly true for them.
• Ninety-five percent of the respondents reported
very true or mostly true to the statement related to
being able to think critically regarding critical social
issues.
Spiritual Formation
• Regardless of school type, the majority of this sample of
recent high school graduates report that they:
– Are able to worship God in a variety of ways;
– regularly express gratitude to God;
– feel loved by God;
– have a strong desire to know God;
– enjoy helping others.
• Ninety percent of the students responded very true or
mostly true when asked if they were able to help people in
need without judging them.
• Seventy-six percent of the students responded very
true or mostly true to the statement that they
regularly spend time in God’s Word and in prayer.
• Eighty-one percent of the students reported that
they were able to share their faith with others.
• 96% reported that they were able to defend their
faith respectfully
Influence of High School
on Spiritual Formation
• Thinking critically about important social
issues was reported as moderately or
somewhat influenced by high school for 65%
of the respondents.
Influence of Christian
High School
• The influence of high school on spiritual formation of
Christian school graduates were reported as significantly
more influential compared to public school graduates on the
following items:
– Helping others (p<.020)
– Defending their beliefs respectfully (p <.001)
– Sharing their faith with others (p<.004)
– Taking responsibility for their actions (p<.001)
– Receiving constructive feedback (p<.049)
– Being honest with themselves (p <.010)
Influence of Public High
School
• Responses of public high school graduates
revealed significantly greater influence of the
high school experience compared to Christian
high school graduates on the item on
appreciating the multicultural nature of the
university (p<.057)
Survey Comments
• Contrary to the researcher’s predictions,
public school graduates reported that high
school forced them to learn to defend their
faith and to be prepared to address the
questions posed by fellow students and
teachers who were openly hostile to their
faith.
• These results were corroborated by
interviews.
Phase II Interviews
n=127
• 80% of the public school grads reported
coming from large high schools [more
than 1000 students]
• All of the Christian school grads
reported coming from small schools
[500 students or less]
How did high school prepare
you to live out your Christian
walk?
Public School
Private Christian School
It Hasn’t
30 %
13 %
Taught me how to share faith with others
14 %
9%
Taught me how to stand up for my beliefs
and values
56 %
9%
Strengthened my faith
8%
22 %
Prepared me to influence others
7%
13 %
Bible classes
Helped me to interact with different people
Taught me to resist peer pressure
19 %
12 %
4%
16 %
Other Interview Findings
• Students who graduated from private Christian schools were significantly
better prepared to intellectually defend their faith than students from
public schools (p<.01).
• Students in this sample who graduated from public schools reported
being significantly better prepared to function in a diverse world than
the private Christian school respondents (p<.01).
• Twenty-three percent of the public school interviewees said that their
high school helped them discover their spiritual gifts. Forty-two percent
of private Christian school students responded “yes” to this item, and
58% responded “no”.
• There were no significant differences between public and Christian
school grads when responding to the question related to high school’s
helping them to discover their calling: 53% of Christian school students
said “no”.
• Both public and private Christian school graduates
reported that their high school experience was not
the major influence on their spiritual formation, but
rather their families, homes, churches, mission
opportunities, and youth groups.
• The results of interviews point to the absolutely
critical need for strong youth groups to adolescents’
overall spiritual growth, especially those who
attend public schools.
• Students who reported strong youth groups described them
as those that:
– 1) provide Christ-centered teaching vs doctrinal
instruction,
– 2) give direct instruction in evangelizing,
– 3) are action oriented, as defined by direct involvement
in real-world contexts such as missions and social justice
issues.
• These findings corroborate those of Smith and Denton
(2005) in the National Study of Youth and Religion (p. 265271).
How can Christian education better support
your academic and spiritual development?
Public School
n=78
Apply knowledge to the real world
Private Christian School
n= 26
25 %
12 %
Exposure to other belief systems
8%
15 %
Exposure to individuals with different
lifestyles
5%
2%
More challenging academics
Apply academics to spirituality
5%
5%
5%
Challenge students to grow spiritually
16 %
10 %
Teach how to apply faith
15 %
17 %
Devotions/prayer in class
6%
2%
Not push agendas
2%
Be supportive of all students
1%
Help students learn how to defend faith
1%
Promote servant leadership
1%
5%
Summary
• As anticipated, students from public high schools reported significantly
higher incidences of school problems; all the school problems studied
were significantly different for the two high school types except
plagiarism and teachers disrespecting students.
• Parents of private Christian school students will probably be encouraged
by significantly fewer problems at Christian schools in this sample,
especially for alcohol/drug use, bullying, and teen pregnancy, perennial
concerns for most parents.
• However, the non-significant differences found in cheating/plagiarism
should promote parent/student discussions about these moral issues.
• Parents of public school students should practice eternal vigilance of
their children’s social and emotional welfare as they progress through
high school.
Summary [con’t.]
• Facilities, sports, school finances, technology, class size, and
extracurricular activities are not high on this group’s list of
priorities for improving high school education.
• These are exactly the items that ARE high on the list of most
parents, educators, school boards, and legislators.
• Thirty-one percent of private Christian school graduates
reported that their schools did a poor job of respecting their
views. This finding needs to be probed further through
narrative or ethnographic studies.
Resources
• Cardus Phase I Report
• Link to LeBlanc and
Slaughter report
• pbleblanc@seu.edu
• pslaughter@andersonunive
rsity.edu
References
• Smith, C. & Denton, M.L.
(2005). Soul searching: The
religious and spiritual lives of
American teenagers. NY:
Oxford University Press.
Thank You!!!
• http://leblancspace.wikispaces.com/
School+Choice+%26+Reform+Acade
mic+Conference
Discussion
•How might you use the
results of these studies
to inform what you do
at your school?
Questions?