Choosing God, Choosing Schools: Capturing the Influence of Parental Religiosity on School Choice

• In Event: Moscone Center West Roundtable Session 9
  In Roundtable Session: Exploring How the Religious Experiences and Beliefs of Students, Families, and Communities Impact Student Success

Abstract

In today’s educational landscape, there are a wide variety of schools from which parents may choose for their child. In addition to the typical factors such as academic standards, curricular offerings and peer influence, the issue of school choice within a faith-based context adds complex layers of culture and religiosity and spirituality. The Seventh-day Adventist school system is one example of an educational organization framed by a religious denomination. The purpose of this mixed methods study was to better understand parents’ religiosity – as measured by their cultural consonance, commitment to church doctrine, and level of general religiosity – in relation to the choice of school for their child.

Author

• Aimee Leukert, La Sierra University