Bible Literacy Project News
Religion News Service
Results of Three Scientific Studies Significantly Boost Rationale
for Introducing Bible As Literature Courses In Public Schools
William Jeynes
In a presentation at the American Educational Research
Association's Annual Conference in Chicago, William Jeynes, a
Non-resident Scholar at Baylor University and a Professor at California
State University in Long Beach, shared long awaited results of his
research on the influence of Bible Literacy on student achievement. The
results represent the first time that a social scientist has attempted
to extensively assess the academic and behavioral effects of Bible
literacy. Jeynes, a graduate of Harvard University and the University of
Chicago, presented studies that included a meta-analysis of the effects
of Bible literacy, a second study focusing on a private religious
school, and a study of students from both public and private schools.
The meta-analysis, which involves statistically synthesizing all the
research that has been done on a given topic, indicated that students
who possessed high levels of Bible knowledge achieved at higher academic
levels and were more likely to demonstrate positive behavior patterns
than those with lower levels of Bible knowledge. The other two
studies also showed dramatic differences between students between
students who possessed high and low levels of Bible knowledge. In the
second study, the difference in GPA between students high versus low in
Bible literacy was 3.60 vs. 2.47. In the third study the difference in
GPA between the two groups was 3.31 versus 2.91.
Dr. Jeynes asserted, "The results of these studies indicate that Bible
literacy is associated with positive student outcomes. These results
indicate that efforts to introduce the Bible as Literature courses in
public schools will likely yield positive academic benefits. The primary
reason is simple. It is probably impossible to be an educated American
unless one has a solid knowledge of the Bible. The Bible is the most
published and cited book not only in world history, but also in every
single year of recorded human history. One cannot have an adequate grasp
of most of the classics of literature and American history without an
impressive knowledge of the Bible." Jeynes added, "One cannot thoroughly
understand Shakespeare, Dickens, Dostoevsky, or Tolstoy without a solid
knowledge of the Bible. Furthermore, to comprehend the effect of the
life saving miracle of George Washington, the abolition of slavery, the
women's suffrage movement, and the civil rights movement, one needs a
sufficient knowledge of biblical principles. Students that possess such
knowledge will indubitably have an academic advantage. The results of
this study confirm this fact."
Dr. Jeynes is one of the nation's leading
researchers on the influence of religiosity and religious schools. He
has conducted the only meta-analysis ever undertaken examining these
issues. He published 4 books, has two others in press, and has written
about 60 academic journal articles. He is a well known public speaker,
having spoken in 47 states and in every inhabited continent. William
Jeynes (whjharvard@post.harvard.edu)
is also the Co-Chair of the Religion and Education group of the American
Education Research Association.
http://www.religionnews.com/press02/PR042407A.html
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