Spiritual Formation: a Comparative Study of Modern And
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SPIRITUAL FORMATION: A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF MODERN AND CLASSICAL CHRISTIAN SCHOOLS DISSERTATION SUBMITTED TO THE DWIGHT SCHAR COLLEGE OF EDUCATION ASHLAND UNIVERSITY In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for The Degree Doctor of Education in Leadership Studies Timothy James Dernlan, B.A., M.Ed. ASHLAND UNIVERSITY ASHLAND, OH 2013 © Copyright by Timothy James Dernlan All rights reserved 2013 ii A DISSERTATION ENTITLED SPIRITUAL FORMATION: A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF MODERN AND CLASSICAL CHRISTIAN SCHOOLS By Timothy James Dernlan In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirement for The Degree Doctor of Education in Leadership Studies Dr. James Olive, Committee Chair Date Dr. Constance Savage, Committee Member Date Dr. Ann Shelly, Committee Member Date Dr. Judy Alston, Chair, Department of Leadership Studies Date Dr. James Van Keuren, Dean, Dwight Schar College of Education Date Dr. Ann Shelly, Interim Dean of the Graduate School Date Ashland University May, 2013 iii SPIRITUAL FORMATION: A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF MODERN AND CLASSICAL CHRISTIAN SCHOOLS By Timothy James Dernlan ASHLAND UNIVERSITY, 2013 Dr. James Olive, Chair This study focused on the comparison of a modern Christian school and a classical Christian school in the Midwestern United States. The modern Christian school used in this study was a member of the Association of Christian Schools International (ACSI) and the classical school was a member of the Association of Classical and Christian Schools (ACCS). A 37 question survey was developed and used to measure and compare the spiritual formation of students in fourth, eighth, and twelfth grade attending each school. Survey questions of Christian knowledge, belief, and action were the focus of the survey. Answers to the survey questions were compared between grades, between schools, and within schools to determine the different levels of spiritual formation and commitment to the Christian faith in the students at each school. Special attention was given to the Trivium of classical education compared to current modern instructional methodologies. Statistically significant differences were determined to exist between the students attending the two schools and Fowler’s Development Theory was used to explain the results. The results from this study suggest that the classical Christian school produces students with a higher level of Christian faith formation than the modern Christian school. iv Dedication To my wife Kara For all you are and all you do for our family. I could not have done this without you. You are amazing and I love you with all my heart! You are a living example of Proverbs 31. To my children Boaz, Ezekiel, Rebecca, and Anna You inspire me. May you always walk in the fear of the Lord. To my parents David and Susan Thank you for making personal sacrifices to give me opportunities in life. v Acknowledgements Dr. James Olive Dr. Ann Shelly Dr. Constance Savage Dr. Harold Wilson Dr. Carla Edlefson Dr. Judy Alston Dr. Rosaire Ifedi Dr. Carl Walley Kara R. Dernlan David and Susan Dernlan Dr. John and Gail Byrum Cohort 13 vi Table of Contents CHAPTER I. Introduction . 1 Statement of the Problem . 2 Significance of the Study . 3 Purpose of the Study . 4 Research Questions and Hypotheses . 5 Theoretical Framework and Researcher’s Lens . 7 Limitations and Delimitations . 13 Definition of Terms . 13 Summary . 14 II. Introduction . 16 Modern Christian Schools . 16 Classical Christian Schools . 19 Spiritual Formation . 24 Conclusion . 32 III. Introduction . 33 Research Design . 33 Population of the Study . 35 Sampling Procedure . 35 vii The Sample . 37 Instrumentation . 37 Data Collection . 41 Ethical Considerations . 42 Data Preparation . 43 Summary . 43 IV. Introduction . 44 General Description of the Data . 44 Answering the Research Questions . 46 Instructional Time . 59 Parental Influence . 60 Summary of Findings . 61 V. Introduction . 63 Fourth Grade: Summary of the Findings . 63 Eighth Grade: Summary of the Findings . 67 Twelfth Grade: Summary of the Findings . 70 All Grades: Summary of the Findings . 72 Additional Findings . 77 Limitations and Delimitations of the Study . 80 Implications . 81 Conclusion . 84 viii REFERENCES . 86 APPENDIX A Christian School Associations . 96 APPENDIX B ACSI Statement of Faith . 105 APPENDIX C ACSI Vision and Mission Statements . 107 APPENDIX D ACCS Confession of Faith . 109 APPENDIX E ACCS Mission Statement . 116 APPENDIX F ACCS Frequently Asked Questions . 119 APPENDIX G PEERS Worldview Categories . 141 APPENDIX H Human Subjects Review Board Application . 143 APPENDIX I Parental Consent Form . 149 APPENDIX J Administration Consent Form . 152 APPENDIX K Participant Consent Form . 155 ix APPENDIX L Letter to Potential Schools . 158 APPENDIX M More Information for Potential Schools . 160 APPENDIX N Letter to Arrange Survey Date . 162 APPENDIX O Christian Faith Commitment Survey . 164 APPENDIX P Christian Faith Commitment Survey Results . 168 x List of Tables TABLE 1. Descriptive Data of the Samples . 45 2. All Survey Questions Resulting in Significant Differences . 47 3. Questions Resulting in Significant Differences in Fourth Grade . 49 4. Questions Resulting in Significant Differences in Eighth Grade . 52 5. Questions Resulting in Significant Differences in Twelfth Grade . 55 6. Most Influential Person to Student Spiritual Development . 61 xi List of Figures FIGURE 1. Theoretical framework of Christian faith development . 12 2. Worldview of Christian students . 31 3. Percentage of students “always” wanting to live like a Christian . 57 4. How often do teachers talk about God or the Bible? . 60 xii 1 CHAPTER I My interest in the topic of K-12 Christian education is a culmination of factors and experiences from several stages of my life. My three older brothers and I attended evangelical Christian schools at various stages of our K-8 education. I received my K-5 education at a very small Christian school before completing my education at the local public school in my hometown. With the exception of kindergarten, where my mother was the teacher, I do not recall a strong academic or religious influence from the Christian school I attended. The academics at the Christian school were not better than the public school I eventually attended and the Christian aspect seemed more of a shelter from secular society than designed to train students in Biblical knowledge and Christian faith. Brown (1992) and Boerema (2011) both claim private Christian schools are often very similar to public schools and offer little difference academically or spiritually. My spiritual formation as a Christian was influenced by my parents and church, more than the Christian school I attended. My father was the pastor of a church in a small Ohio town and I grew up attending church services three times per week. I attended Sunday school each week, Vacation Bible School one week every summer, and church camp for one or two weeks each summer. Annual missionary conferences and other special occasions were also part of my church experience. People needing counseling or a place to stay would often come to our house for help from my parents. None of this seemed abnormal to me as I grew up. It is only as I write about it now that I see the unique situation in which I was raised. After leaving home to attend college, I observed my older brother teach at two different evangelical Christian schools. He made very little money, but was passionate about training students in the Christian faith and pushing them to excel in academics. At 2 that time, he and his wife were raising their first child and decided to send her to a classical Christian school. They moved several hundred miles away from friends and family to secure a new career near a classical Christian school. I have watched his family make great financial sacrifices to send all four of their children to the same classical Christian school over the past 15 years. Now, I have four young children of my own and I seek to raise them in an academically rigorous environment influenced by a Christian worldview. I believe each family and child have unique circumstances and should seek the best option for the situation in which they reside and the children which God has given them to raise. My wife and I attended public school kindergarten screenings with our oldest child, sent him to a Christian school, and are currently educating our children at home. Being a Christian parent has crystalized my focus to pursue an understanding of Christian education in America. These experiences in my life have motivated me to conduct this study of the spiritual formation in students attending modern and classical Christian schools. As Lanker (2010) and Steinberg (2008) noted, students need spiritual mentors as faith formation occurs and I am grateful for the strong mentors who have influenced my spiritual journey in life. Statement of the Problem According to Baucham (2007), between 75 and 88 percent of children raised in Christian homes are leaving the Christian faith within one year of graduating from high school. This is a dramatic statistic and a cause for concern amongst Christian parents who hope to raise children to follow the religious faith found in the Bible. There are many schooling options for children and parents in America, but the information 3 regarding student achievement at the various schools is not always easy to attain. Government funded schools are publically graded by the standards of No Child Left Behind; however, private schools are not graded by the same standards and this makes comparisons between private Christian schools difficult. This lack of testing for private schools may cause concern for some parents seeking to find the best fit for their children amongst the private school options. Standardized tests such as the ACT or SAT can be used as a common academic measurement for students involved in every type of schooling option in America. However, the choice to attend private Christian schools is often made less on the basis of academics and more because schools claim to develop a Christian worldview in the students.