Research: Religious schools, not public schools, make good citizens
In studies conducted by scientists from the University of Arkansas and the University of Buckingham, it was found that private religious schools are more effective in preparing students for citizenship. According to scientists, the presence of a religious school in the community significantly reduces the level of crime. It became known that the students of such schools are distinguished by political tolerance, willingness to respect the rights and opinions of others, activeness in political, social and charity work and other aspects.
Researchers from the University of Arkansas and the University of Buckingham presented the results of their study, "The Public Purposes of Private Education: A Meta-Analysis of Civic Outcomes - Citizens with Knowledge, Skills, and Values That Contribute to Society," in the April 16 issue of Educational Psychology Review.
It reveals the relationship between private religious education, political tolerance, loyalty to the country , and the level of knowledge and skills. The monitoring comes amid growing concern about the state of citizenship education globally.
The authors combined findings from 57 studies in more than a dozen countries to calculate the average relationship between schooling and four key citizenship outcomes:
- political tolerance, willingness to respect the rights and opinions of others, equality, human dignity, etc .;
- behavioral indicator of readiness to participate in political life, self-management activities;
– civic knowledge and skills, including test scores on information about the country's constitutional system, as well as willingness to accept fair election results;
- indicators of involvement in activities that benefit the community, including the number of hours of participation in philanthropic donations and free volunteer work .
The study looked at school climate, racial cohesion, levels of school discipline, levels of school violence and the amount of homework assigned by teachers. The results showed that religious schools outperformed non-religious schools in each of these categories.
Their environment is more conducive to learning and education: high reading and attendance, racial harmony, and school discipline. In religious schools, violence and dangerous behavior of students are not visible .
Researchers have found that private religious schools are more effective in preparing students for citizenship. It was found that children's political tolerance, civic knowledge and skills are 12% higher than in general education schools. They make at least law-abiding and perhaps better citizens .
A study conducted by researchers from the University of Arkansas and the University of Buckingham shows that the presence of a religious school in a community significantly reduces the crime rate. According to the authors, school choice is a blessing rather than a curse of democracy: “Students do not have to choose between God and country. They believe in God zealously and support the country."
