Individual Religious Commitment and Interdisciplinary Academic Achievement: Student Religiosity as a Factor in a National Academic Competition

This study included an examination of the differences between the religiosity of students representing both public and private schools that qualified at the state and national levels in the United States Academic Decathlon, a national, interdisciplinary academic competition. The statistical significance of religiosity in relation to achievement scores in the Academic Decathlon was examined. The literature reviewed suggested a positive correlation between religiosity and academic achievement. The Duke University Religion Index (DUREL) instrument was administered to students on both teams to determine religiosity levels. Statistical analysis was applied to the data to test for significant difference. No significant difference between overall competition scores was found in relation to reported student religiosity; neither the public nor private school scored significantly higher or lower in the competition. Significant difference in scores was found for specific subject areas. Further, no significant difference was found between student religiosity in relation to grade point average. The conclusion that student religiosity was not found to have a significant influence on competition scores in the Academic Decathlon suggests that religiosity and academic achievement may not always positively correlate. The implications for Christian education suggest that faith-learning integration should be critically examined across disciplines in Christian school settings, particularly in the subjects of mathematics and science