ARTICLES

Encouraging Students to Act: Helping Students Apply

Principles Learned in a Religious Education Setting

John Hilton III

Alyssa Aramaki
Brigham Young University

Abstract. Much debate exists regarding the purpose of education. This article explores
the idea that religious education can be used to inspire change and action in the lives of
students beyond the classroom. We describe a study of students who took a required
religion class at a private religious university. The intended outcomes of the class
centered on encouraging students to make the following changes in their lives: to
develop a habit of regular scripture study, to use new methods to study the scriptures,
and to make positive choices in their lives. Specific assignments were designed to
encourage these outcomes. At the end of the semester, students were surveyed as to
whether they had made changes in their lives in these three areas. The vast majority of
students reported that they had made changes in their lives because of assignments
given in the class. Implications and limitations are discussed.

Introduction
What is the purpose of education? This question has been debated for centuries and the
debate has only intensified in recent decades. More than half a century ago, Bruner
wrote The first object of any act of learning, over and beyond the pleasure it may give,
is that it should serve us in the future. Learning should not only take us somewhere; it
should allow us later to go further more easily (1960, 17). Hirsch defined the purpose
of education as the basic understanding needed to thrive in the modern world (1987,
xiii). Darling-Hammond states that education should enable all people to find out and
act on who they are (1997, 45). Others have argued that the purpose of education is to
teach students to be good human beings (Seymour 2004) or to lead to social justice
(Marshall and Oliva 2010).
Ultimately, there are many potential purposes of education and there is naturally a
widespread debate regarding these purposes. Some people place varying levels of
emphases on each, while others completely discount some of them (Aronowitz and
Giroux 1985). More specifically, this divide on the reasons for education exists in the
realm of teaching religion and theology. Barbara E. Walvoord (2008) extensively dis-
cusses survey data regarding the degree to which teachers and students value different
purposes of education.
We acknowledge that professors can teach with a wide variety of learning goals, and
so we are not attempting to propose in this paper that one goal is necessarily superior to
another. Rather, we explore how professors who choose to do so can influence their stu-
dents actions. This is a purpose shared by many. For example, Hough quotes Jal Mehta,
an assistant professor at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, as saying, All of
us at professional schools are in the knowledge and action business (2011, 7). Teachers

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are often concerned with having an influence on their students beyond the classroom
(Csinos 2010; Todd 2011). Many hope that their influence will affect the behavior,
actions, and character of their students. As Todd said, I stand up in the class, with my
own . . . desires, wanting the students to get something from the course, to change and
alter not only what they think, but also how they think, introducing them to new possi-
bilities that provoke their curiosity and, hopefully, new insights (2011, 508).
Dewey, another proponent of learning that leads to action states, When education,
under the influence of a scholastic conception of knowledge which ignores everything but
scientifically formulated facts and truths, fails to recognize that primary or initial subject
matter always exists as a matter of an active doing . . . the subject matter of instruction is
isolated from the needs and purposes of the learner, and so becomes just a something to
be memorized and reproduced upon demand . . . Knowledge which is mainly secondhand,
other mens knowledge, tends to become merely verbal (as cited in Sizer 2004, 94).
Sizer writes that knowledge needs to go beyond the verbal, for to know facts is to
have used them. As an ancient Chinese saying puts it, I hear and I forget, I see and I
remember, I do and I understand (2004, 95).
Concerning religious education, outcomes that go beyond knowledge are important
for some teachers. Bednar writes, You and I may know the right things to do, but intel-
ligence involves more than just knowing. If you and I are intelligent we will consistently
do the right things (2011, 74).
Roberts said that the aims of a Christian education include not only increased intel-
lectual growth, but also such virtues as justice, generosity, humility, courage, persever-
ance, and love of God and neighbor (2007, 61). Developing such virtues cannot be
done simply by memorizing facts. Chubbuck points out that knowledge is not to be
acquired with abstract, objective detachment; rather students are asked to engage their
learning as whole persons in heart, mind, and will (2007, 243).
Many religious educators also seek to find ways to help students learn in terms of
knowledge, doing, and becoming. Loving taught World Religions classes in which he
gave students activities to complete so that they could implement the newly acquired
information into their lives. He said that giving the students these activities helped them
to appreciate and understand the diversity of different religions. After the students com-
pleted the activities, they discussed them and what they learned. Loving said that as stu-
dents did these activities they reported that their actions had started to change the kind
of person they were becoming:
Students learn what it is like to be subject to an external discipline and in their
words live consciously instead of merely going through life not thinking about
what they do and why. They are often profoundly affected by their recognition of
the selfishness and materialism of contemporary culture. They report a new open-
ness and appreciation for diverse religious practices that might first strike them as
strange or threatening. (2011, 1)
Roberts states that character education at the college level may seem problematic in
that by the time students get to college their character is already well under way of
being formed. Our task does seem to be primarily one of continuation and deepening;
mostly we build on the formative contributions of earlier schooling, chiefly at home but
also at school (2007, 70). Thus while much of the character of college students is
already formed by the time they arrive in a college classroom, religion teachers can still
help them continue to grow and develop.

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Some believe that it is important that student learning is connected to positive out-
comes in terms of what students are becoming. Langer et al. wrote that without inten-
tional application to character development through the use of guided reflection,
[students] will fail to meet that purpose. For instance . . . we teach avoiding plagiarism
as the cardinal rule of research. Students may naturally learn how to conform their
external behavior to this standard, but on the virtue-based model of character develop-
ment, the cultivation of academic honesty extends to the intentions and motivations of
the student, and not merely the outward behavior (2010, 356). While this paper focuses
on helping students to take action, it also acknowledges that helping students do things
may be ineffective if it does not lead them to become.
Religious educators have a variety of ways in which they can invite students to act.
They can simply invite students to do something as a result of a particular lesson. They
can give assignments. Educators can provide opportunities for students to share what
they have done to apply the principles being taught, potentially motivating peers to
apply these principles. The present study discusses methods used by one of the authors
when teaching a religion class. The intent behind using these methods was to encourage
students to make changes in their lives as a result of what they learned. It is important
to note that this study was not approached with an experimental design. There were no
control or experimental groups. Rather, we took the approach of practitioner research
in which we attempted to begin a quantification of a phenomenon we have observed in
the classroom (English 2006, 153).

Learning Outcomes in One Religion Class

This study took place at Brigham Young University (BYU), a large private university
affiliated with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It is important to note
that 98.5 percent of students at BYU are members of this church, and 100 percent of
students have met with an ecclesiastical leader and signed an honor code prior to attend-
ing. In the specific sections that were a part of this study, 100 percent of participating
students were members of the LDS church. Similarly, the vast majority of all professors
at BYU, (and 100 percent of professors in the religion department) are members in good
standing of the LDS church. Thus students and teachers at BYU are a unique popula-
tion. While there are undoubtedly exceptions, generally students and teachers at BYU
are faithful church members who strive to adhere to the teachings of their religion. This
point will prove important throughout this paper, as it provides a general base of shared
values among the students and faculty.
The course that is the subject of this study is Religion 121, an introductory two
credit hour religion course that covers the first half of the Book of Mormon. This class
is required for graduation (students at BYU are required to take fourteen credits of reli-
gion courses to graduate, including classes on the Book of Mormon, the Bible, and Doc-
trine and Covenants). This course had several objectives. Some of these objectives were
traditional such as developing a factual knowledge regarding the dates, individuals,
and storylines portrayed in the text. These outcomes were primarily measured by exams.
Other outcomes centered on what students would do in their personal lives. These
outcomes focused on three areas. First, students would develop a habit of regular per-
sonal scripture study. Scripture study was defined by students, but generally was con-
sidered any reading of scripture within the LDS canon (the Bible, Book of Mormon,
Doctrine and Covenants, and Pearl of Great Price). Students were required to set a goal
for how much time they would spend studying the scriptures every day and to keep

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track of the number of days they met their goal. Before students set this goal they spent
two classes discussing the importance of personal scripture study so that there was a
context for its importance, and students were encouraged to prayerfully consider their
scripture study habits. While a concept of prayerfully considering a goal might seem
foreign in some contexts, within an LDS context it is a process that is generally under-
stood. Once students had set a goal, they monitored their results, self-reported on the
consistency with which they had met their goal for study, and graded themselves
accordingly. This assignment accounted for 11 percent of students grades.
A second action-based learning outcome of this course was that students would
acquire skills in how to study their scriptures. Seven brief papers were assigned in
which students applied study techniques (that had previously been discussed and prac-
ticed in class). Such techniques included using a computer database to search for pat-
terns in how words are used in the scripture, and using a dictionary to better define
difficult terms. In addition, students did brief readings that explained how to perform
these techniques. Students posted their papers in an electronic forum where others could
read and comment on their work. The intention of this assignment was that students
would learn about a technique through their reading, see it modeled and practiced in
class, write a brief paper demonstrating their ability to utilize the technique, and then
continue to use it to benefit their future scripture study. These papers accounted for 9
percent of students grades.
The third outcome was that students would start making positive choices, or stop
making negative choices, as a result of the class. To support this effort, an invitation to
act was given at the end of each class. These invitations (called challenges in this
class) included a variety of topics, such as making a greater effort to honor the Sabbath
Day, praying more sincerely, and speaking more positively about others. Admittedly,
these are subjective issues, and students were largely left to themselves to determine
how one could better honor the Sabbath Day or pray more sincerely. While a challenge
was given in every class, students were only required to act on and turn in a one-page
response to four of these challenges. As with the papers previously discussed, students
posted their challenge responses in a forum where other students see them (students
could post challenges anonymously if they chose to do so). In addition, students some-
times shared in class how taking a challenge had made their lives better. This was done
to provide inspiration and motivation to other students to act. These challenges
accounted for 8 percent of students grades.
One other assignment was given that was intended to help students to act. Students
were to complete a semester-long project of their choosing with the specific requirement
that it deepen their understanding of the text. Students fulfilled this project in a variety
of ways such as writing reports, composing music, making videos, and so forth.
Depending on the project students selected, it potentially could help them achieve one
of the action-based course outcomes, (although students could choose a project that took
them in a completely different direction). This project was worth 13 percent of the stu-
dents overall grade. The rest of the students grade was dependent on exams and a
couple of small miscellaneous assignments.
We sought answers to three questions. First, did students perceive that they did any-
thing different in their lives with regard to the three previously stated actions as a result
of this religion class? Second, if students did perceive that they made changes in their
lives, which assignments (if any) contributed to these changes? Third, did students
feel that the amount of emphasis placed upon taking action in this religion class was

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appropriate? This question was important because even if students acted, if they
resented it or felt that it was not appropriate, the positive benefits of having students act
could potentially be negated. The following section describes the methods used to find
answers to these questions.

Methods

Participants
The one hundred and sixty-five students in sections surveyed as part of this study were
primarily first year college students. As stated previously, all participants attended
Brigham Young University, and were members of the LDS Church. Students at BYU are
primarily drawn from middle to upper socio-economic levels within the United States.
Entrance requirements are competitive; the average 2011 ACT score of incoming fresh-
man was 28 and the mean high school GPA was 3.8.
Students in three sections were surveyed; class enrollment in these sections ranged
from forty-eight to sixty-seven. All classes met twice a week for fifty minutes per
session. The majority of students were Caucasian, with some Latino, Asian, and Pacific
Islander students. These students ranged in age from seventeen to twenty-seven, with 96
percent being eighteen to nineteen years-old. The mean age was 18.4. The male-female
ratio was 38 percent male, 62 percent female. All of the students in these sections were
from the United States or Canada.

Instrument
The instrument used in this study was developed by the researchers, in consultation with
an assessment specialist at the BYUs Center for Teaching and Learning. It consisted of
two demographic questions, four closed response items and two open-ended prompts (see
Appendix). Specifically, survey questions three through five, as well as question eight,
were designed to answer the first research question (whether students perceived they had
made changes in their lives as a result of the religion class). Question six answered the
third research question (the extent to which students felt the focus on application was
appropriate). Question seven allowed students to share what assignments (if any) had
helped them act, thus answering the second research question of this study.
All of the survey questions were pilot-tested on two separate occasions, and were
revised each time based on the responses of pilot test participants. In the pilot tests stu-
dents were given the survey and, after the surveys were complete, researchers asked
participants to explain their responses to survey questions. The most important changes
resulting from these pilot tests were to make the language of the instrument very easy to
understand and to minimize student perception that there was a right answer to the
question. The survey was intentionally kept short so as to not take too much instruction
time.

Procedures and Analysis

College students in a required religion class completed a survey to describe their percep-
tions of what things they had done (if any) as a result of the class. The survey was
administered with paper and pencil during class time in the second-to-last class of the
semester. Students were informed that their responses would be anonymous. In addition,
researchers collected student work throughout the semester. For the purposes of this
exploratory study, students taught by one of the authors were surveyed. While this is

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acceptable in terms of practitioner research, we acknowledge that this weakness limits

the application of our findings. We tried to overcome this weakness by having the
survey administered by the Universitys Center for Teaching and Learning. Students
were not informed that their teacher had been involved in the creation of the survey.
Nevertheless, it is possible that the study was unintentionally biased in a way that
created abnormal results. This weakness is discussed later in this paper.
Means and standard deviations were calculated for all of the quantitative questions.
Because there were not multiple groups there was no need to calculate ANOVAs (analy-
ses of variance) or perform additional analyses. The final two questions of the survey
required qualitative analysis. These responses were read and emergent coding was used
to analyze them.

Results
We measured the changes made in students actions as a result of our class in two ways.
First, we administered the survey to students at the end of the semester, and second, we
carefully examined student responses to the different challenges that were given. We first
report on the survey results (see Tables 1 through 7).
In total, 151 students took the survey (out of 156 students who were present on the
day the survey was administered). In total, 151 of the 165 enrolled students completed
the instrument, for a response rate of 91.5 percent.

Table 1: Levels of agreement with the statement, I have made one or more important
changes in my life in how much I study my scriptures (e.g. the amount of time I spend)
as a result of taking this religion class.
Strongly Agree Somewhat Agree Somewhat Disagree Strongly Disagree Mean Response

92 (61%) 51 (34%) 4 (3%) 4 (3%) 1.5

Table 2: Levels of agreement with the statement, I have made one or more important
changes in my life in how I study my scriptures (e.g. methods I use while studying) as a
result of taking this religion class.
Strongly Agree Somewhat Agree Somewhat Disagree Strongly Disagree Mean Response

96 (64%) 54 (36%) 0 (0%) 1 (1%) 1.4

Table 3: Levels of agreement with the statement, I have made one or more important
changes in my life in terms of the things I do or do not do as a result of taking this reli-
gion class. Note: this question does not refer to scripture study, but rather refers to posi-
tive actions you have taken (e.g. served others more) or negative things you now do less
frequently (e.g. gossip).
Strongly Agree Somewhat Agree Somewhat Disagree Strongly Disagree Mean Response

59 (39%) 79 (52%) 12 (8%) 1 (1%) 1.7

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Table 4: Responses to the statement, In my opinion, the emphasis this class had on
putting religious principles into action was: (a) Too much, (b) A little too much, (c)
About right, (d) Not quite enough, (e) Too little.
Too Much A Little Too Much About Right Not Quite Enough Too Little Mean Response

2 (1%) 3 (2%) 145 (96%) 1 (1%) 0 (0%) 3

Table 5: Responses to the question, What assignments did you receive in this class
(if any) that were helpful in making important changes in your life?
Challenges Final Project Weekly Response Class Reading Personal Scripture
Papers Assignments Study Goal

119 (79%) 36 (24%) 24 (16%) 14 (9%) 9 (6%)

Table 6: Responses to the question, What have you done (if anything) differently in
your life as a result of taking this class?
Personal study Pondering and applying Prayer Service Divine Guidance Journal
of scripture scriptures

100 (66%) 23 (15%) 19 (13%) 16 (11%) 9 (6%) 8 (5%)

Table 7: Analysis of the 100 students who mentioned personal scripture study in
response to the question, What assignments did you receive in this class (if any) that
were helpful in making important changes in your life?
Study the scriptures more Changes in how I study Changes in both how much Scripture study different
frequently or for a longer the scriptures and how I study (in general)
period of time

42 (42%) 25 (15%) 15 (15%) 18 (18%)

Discussion
Our first questions in this paper considered whether students perceive that they did any-
thing different in their lives with regards to how much they studied, the manner in
which they studied, and in their personal lives as a result of their religion class (see
Tables 1, 2, and 3). Approximately 90 percent of students either strongly or somewhat
agreed with statements indicating that they had made important changes in these three
areas. Thirty-three students (22 percent) said that they strongly agreed that they had
made important changes in each of these three areas. One student (less than 1 percent)
somewhat or strongly disagreed with each of the statements. It is important to note that
making important changes is somewhat subjective. Exactly what do students consider
to be important? We felt that the asking students about important changes would be
indicative of the degree to which the students personally valued the change. Because the
study was anonymous, students could feel free to honestly report if changes made were
not valuable or if no changes whatsoever were made.
One of the strongest areas of change was in terms of how much time students spent
studying the scriptures (see Table 1). Nearly all students (95 percent) said that they had

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made important changes in the amount of time they spent studying the scriptures as a
result of the class. When students were given the opportunity to provide a free-response
regarding a question about what they had done differently in their lives because of the
course, 123 students (81 percent of the total surveyed) specifically mentioned something
pertaining their scripture study (see Table 6).
What caused this to happen? While the methodology employed in this study prevents
a definitive answer, we would like to offer our own reflection on how this occurred. It is
likely that the simple explanations such as grading, or the general rule that measuring
performance improves performance, were significant factors. Because students were
monitoring their scripture study they were more likely to do it. Grades also likely
elevated the importance students who are graded on identifying geographic locations
will learn those locations better than they otherwise would. It is probably the same phe-
nomenon at work here. It is also possible that having the students set their own goal for
scripture study increased their buy-in, and helped them feel like this was something that
they really wanted to do. In addition, some of the challenges pertained to scripture
study. Thus it is likely that the challenges were a contributing factor in students percep-
tions that their scripture study changed.
While the vast majority of students reported making changes in the amount of time
they spent in scripture study, an even larger number of students said that they made
changes in how they studied their scriptures; only one student said that s/he did not
make any changes (see Table 2). Again, the simple, and most likely explanation for this
is that the model Explain Demonstrate Practice, often used in coaching was effec-
tive in helping students develop and utilize new skills. As stated previously, students
read about select study skills, saw these skills modeled, and had opportunities to prac-
tice in class. Students then wrote brief papers analyzing scripture using these tech-
niques. For example, one reading focused on finding short, powerful one-liners from
scripture that could provide students with inspiration for their daily lives. In class the
instructor provided various examples of these statements and helped students practice
this skill. Finally, students wrote papers in which they shared one-liners they had found
in their personal study.
While we cannot be certain, we believe that these tools genuinely improved the
quality of students scripture study. It may be that many students feel an obligation to
study scripture; however, some students may find scripture study boring. Such boredom
may be the result of not having learned effective methods for studying scripture.
Perhaps they found the techniques they learned to be beneficial to their scripture study
and thus continued to implement them.
In terms of helping the students make changes in their lives outside of scripture
study, it is clear that the challenges were the most important factor (see Table 5).
Seventy-nine percent of respondents said that this assignment had helped them make
important changes in their lives. This large number is particularly surprising in that it
was a free-response question. Thus 79 percent of students generated the answer of
challenges on their own. In some senses this is not surprising, given that challenges
were a regular part of the class. The fact that students considered these to be impor-
tant may be related to the fact that they were being asked about this while the class
was still in process, or it may be in fact that students genuinely valued these challenges
in motivating them to make positive changes in their lives.
In addition to surveying students, we examined the responses students gave to the
challenges, to see how they influenced students. In several instances it appeared that

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the challenges did motivate students to make changes. For example, one class focused
on the importance of righteous traditions, and at the end of class students were
invited to start or strengthen a good tradition, or stop a bad tradition. A student
responded to this challenge by saying that s/he rarely prayed in the morning and felt
that this would be a good tradition to begin. The student said, I have been on my
knees immediately after hitting my alarm clock for the last five days. It has benefited
me in many ways.
Another class emphasized following the righteous examples of individuals in the
scriptures. One student discussed the example of an individual in the scriptures who was
blessed by fasting. The student reported, I am definitely committing to myself to fast
[on a regular basis] from now on.
After one class, the challenge was issued to do the right thing even if it is hard. One
student wrote, I tried to do what is right [by] being honest . . . I went to [look at my
grades online and] saw that my grade on the last paper was entered as a 93 when I actu-
ally got an 85 . . . After about thirty seconds of excitement I began thinking it through
. . . There was no way I could let myself keep that grade. Reluctantly I emailed the
teacher and showed him my paper after class on Tuesday. Though I didnt want to do
that, I knew it was right.
It may be that the consistency with which challenges were issued brought them more
forcefully to the students mind while responding to the instrument. Students received a
challenge at the end of each class period and were sometimes given the opportunity in
class to share how acting on the challenge had influenced their lives. On one occasion, a
student said that hearing a classmates experience with taking a challenge influenced her
to decide to take this same challenge. Thus hearing peers share their experiences was a
catalyst for change in some circumstances.
Our final question was whether students felt that the amount of emphasis on taking
action in this religion class was appropriate (see Table 4). We felt this was important in
order to test whether the approach in class led to students feeling overwhelmed or
having unmet expectations. If students did in fact make changes in their lives, but
resented these changes or felt that boundaries had been overstepped, that perception
could overwhelm any positive changes they made.
With few exceptions students reported that the amount of emphasis on taking action
in the class was appropriate. There were five students who felt that there was too
much or a little too much emphasis in the class on putting religious principles into
action. One of the students who felt that there was too much emphasis was the same
student who strongly disagreed that s/he had made major changes as a result of this
class. This student explicitly stated on the survey that s/he disliked religion classes, and
may have simply resented having to take a religion course as part of the general educa-
tion requirements. Nevertheless, the fact that 96 percent of respondents said that the
emphasis was about right, indicated that in this context, the emphasis on application
was appropriate for the vast majority of students.

Limitations and Suggestions for Future Research

While this study may provide some interesting results, it has many limitations. First is
the limited scope of the students surveyed. The sample size was small, and the fact that
the students were taught by one of the authors of the present study potentially created a
bias in the responses. We tried to ameliorate this bias by having the survey administered
by the Universitys Center for Teaching and Learning. Students were not informed that

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their teacher was involved in the research. Nevertheless, future studies should go beyond
one teachers classroom in order to avoid this potential bias.
Another key weakness is that the survey was administered at just one institution. As
stated previously, the students in this study represent a homogenous population that is
more committed to the religious mission of their institution than the average college
student. Thus the results from this study may not be generalizable to other universities.
An interesting avenue of further research would be to conduct similar studies at a
variety of universities to determine the extent to which the results of this study are
unique to BYU.
A fourth weakness in the study is that the instrument that was used has not yet been
proven to be valid or reliable. While we did pilot tests on the instrument, we believe that
the study would be strengthened if additional efforts were made to improve the instru-
ment. For example, it may be that students believe that they should make changes in
their lives as a result of a religion class and are thus reluctant to report that they did not
make changes. Such a halo effect may have affected the accuracy of student responses.
Similarly, students may not have wanted to criticize their teacher by saying that the
emphasis on action was inappropriate.
This study would also be strengthened by being administered to students of a variety
of ages, taught by a variety of teachers who employ a variety of approaches. It is pos-
sible that students perceive they have made important decisions even in classes where
no encouragement is given to study the scriptures or make changes in their lives. With
the limited data of this study we cannot be certain as to whether the results obtained are
unusual or would have remained constant across many different courses. Similarly, more
efforts could be made to gather demographic questions such as gender, ethnicity, major,
and so forth, in order to determine whether there are statistically significant differences
between groups of people. For example, most of the students surveyed were eighteen to
nineteen years old. It is possible that older students would have responded differently to
survey questions.
Finally, perhaps the greatest weakness in this study is that the timing of the survey
occurred during the semester. While it is encouraging that students reported that they
made important changes in their lives as a result of the course, were these changes long-
lasting, or simply artifacts of the assignments that had recently been completed? An
ideal future study would follow students over a much longer period of time to determine
the extent to which any changes that occurred were ongoing in nature.

Implications for Practice

Notwithstanding the limitations of this exploratory study, we believe the results provide
some tentative answers to the research questions. It appears that many students wel-
comed direct invitations to do things in their lives as a result of this religion class.
Teachers wishing to motivate students to act can experiment with different approaches
and assignments that encourage students to make changes in their lives. Often, students
simply need to be invited to take action (Osguthorpe 2008). As teachers find various
ways to invite students to act, students will be more likely to learn, do, and become.
More research is needed in analyzing the role religion classes can and should play in
helping students make changes in their lives. Often teachers focus on covering factual
information, and this knowledge is important. With a little additional effort, religion
instructors may be able to craft their courses in such a way that students are enabled to

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increase their desire and ability to study the scriptures. Moreover, students can be
invited to make positive changes in their lives that help them grow and progress.

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Appendix
The following survey was administered as part of this study.
Survey
Instructions: Please answer the following questions as they apply to the religion class
you are currently taking. If you are taking multiple religion classes, base your responses
on the class in which you are receiving this survey.
1. What is your age? ___________
2. What is your gender? _________
For questions 36, please indicate how much you agree or disagree with each statement.
3. I have made one or more important changes in my life in how much I study my
scriptures (e.g. the amount of time I spend) as a result of taking this religion class.
a. Strongly agree
b. Somewhat agree
c. Somewhat disagree
d. Strongly disagree
4. I have made one or more important changes in my life in how I study my scriptures
(e.g. methods I use while studying) as a result of taking this religion class.
a. Strongly agree
b. Somewhat agree
c. Somewhat disagree
d. Strongly disagree
5. I have made one or more important changes in my life in terms of the things I do or
do not do as a result of taking this religion class. Note: this question does not refer to
scripture study, but rather refers to positive actions you have taken (e.g. served others
more) or negative things you now do less frequently (e.g. gossip).

110 2014 John Wiley & Sons Ltd

 Encouraging Students to Act

a. Strongly agree
b. Somewhat agree
c. Somewhat disagree
d. Strongly disagree
6. In my opinion, the emphasis this class had on putting religious principles into action
was:
a. Too much
b. A little too much
c. About right
d. Not quite enough
e. Too little
7. What assignments did you receive in this class (if any) that were helpful in making
important changes in your life?
8. What have you done (if anything) differently in your life as a result of taking this
class?

2014 John Wiley & Sons Ltd 111

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