The Impact of Religious Studies Courses: Measuring Change in College Students' Attitudes

Abstract

This study explores a variety of educational outcomes on undergraduate student attitudes as a result of religious studies curriculum. Based on data collected from pre- and post-course surveys of a combined 1,116 students enrolled at Arizona State University and 2 Phoenix, Arizona area community colleges, the research examines student change across 5 outcomes: religiosity, attributional complexity, multi-religious awareness, commitment to social justice, and the first to be developed, neo-colonial measures. The sample was taken in the fall of 2009 from courses including Religions of the World, introductory Islamic studies courses, and a control group consisting of engineering and political science students. The findings were mixed. Select within-group changes showed a statistically significant positive shift, but when comparing across-groups and the control group, analysis of covariance did not reveal statistically significant findings after controlling for key variables. The students’ pre-course survey score was the best predictor of their post-course survey score. In response to the neo-colonial critiques, the non-findings suggest the critiques have been overstated in terms of their impact pedagogically or in the classroom.