Date of Award:

5-2009

Document Type:

Dissertation

Degree Name:

Doctor of Education (EdD)

Department:

Instructional Technology and Learning Sciences

Committee Chair(s)

J. Nicholls Eastmond

Committee

J. Nicholls Eastmond

Committee

Deborah Byrnes

Committee

Michael Freeman

Committee

Gary Straquadine

Committee

Scott Hunsaker

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of religiosity on the pursuit of education and the perceptions towards education among college students at Utah State University (USU). The study focused on what religious variables were useful in predicting postsecondary educational pursuit and either positive or negative educational perceptions among students at USU. From a systematic random sample of 1,460 USU students, a correlational research design was used for this study. Multiple linear regression (MLR) techniques were used to determine which of the various measures of religiosity provided the greatest degree of predictive value for ascertaining educational pursuit and educational perception. A stepwise multiple regression model was used to determine statistical significance of the predictors. Survey methods were used to gather the necessary data. From the results of MLR, seven independent variables (gender, religious practice, parental education, marital status, religious affiliation, positive religious experience, and ethnicity) correlate significantly with four constructs concerning educational perceptions and pursuits (school experience, academic attainments, family pressure, and influences). Of the seven independent variables revealed by MLR to be significant predictors of educational pursuits and perceptions, the measured constructs concerning religiosity were found to be generally less important than the demographic factors.

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