The Positive Practice of Religion Among African-American Children - Research Proposal Example

African American Children: Survey of Religiosity and Behavior Working "A study of the relationship between the practice of religion and the development of positive social attitudes and behavior among African-Americans from ages 8 to 19". Introduction This is a research proposal to study the causality between the positive practice of religion, its effects on spirituality, and its impact on the development of positive social attitudes and behavior among African-American children from ages 8 to 19. Several research studies have been conducted on the social attitudes and behavior of African-Americans, a sampling of which are included in the literature review, with a tendency to focus on the dysfunctional or negative aspects of African-American life. Others have limited their coverage of the research population, excluding young African-Americans for a variety of reasons. This researcher, however, believes that there is an urgent need for research that highlights the positive aspects of the social behavior of today's generation of young African-Americans, using data involving a youth research population. It is hoped that such an investigation of an important and growing sector of contemporary American society would contribute to knowledge of African-American culture, more specifically on the aspect of psychology of religion. It is further hoped that the results would provide concrete strategies for action that would inspire present and future generations of African-American families and youth to perform their important role in strengthening a nation founded on and inspired by Christian ideals. Aims of the Study The aims of this study are as follows: 1. To determine the impact of religious practice or non-practice on the social attitudes and behavior of African-American children from the ages 8 to 19 residing in a specific community. 2. To examine the religion-based determinants of positive social attitudes and behavior. 3. To identify and describe the positive religious practice role models of the research population under study. Hypothesis The study will test the following hypotheses: 1. African-American children who engage in positive religious practices develop positive social attitudes and exhibit positive social behavior (H.1). 2. African-American children who do not engage in any type of religious practice do not develop positive social attitudes and exhibit negative social behavior (H.2). Review of Literature and Preliminary Discussions One of America's founding fathers, Benjamin Franklin, stated that "religion will be a powerful regulator of our actions, give us peace and tranquility within our minds, and render us benevolent, useful and beneficial to others" (Isaacson, 2003, p. 87-88). Over the last quarter of a millennium, American society has undergone a seismic shift in several aspects, more notably in the role of religion and the belief that its practice has beneficial effects on society. Several studies (Paul, 2005; Inglehart and Baker, 2000; Idler and Kasl, 1992) have attempted to show the correlation between America's social problems and the negative effects of secularization on the practice of religion, and that such a development would have detrimental consequences to the future of democracy. Aral and Holmes (1996) and Hummer et al. (1999) also showed that this phenomenon is evident not only in America but also in other developed democracies such as Europe and Japan. On the contrary, they argue, democratic nations such as those in predominantly Catholic Latin America and in parts of Africa with societies influenced by Christianity (such as Angola, Democratic Republic of Congo, and Ethiopia) where the people are noted for religiosity often exhibit the worst forms of social behavior. In another study, Barro and McCleary (2003) used the term "spiritual capital" in reference to the social benefits that proceed with the practice of religion. They concluded that America's deep social problems in a period of great economic prosperity and the highest expenditures for health care among the world's developed democracies point to serious inefficiencies in converting wealth into cultural and physical health, and trace this inefficiency to a decline in religious practices. A review of these studies that investigated the hypothesis that religiosity is socially beneficial identified a common list of factors to define positive religious practices, such as belief in a creator, attendance to worship, practice of prayer or positive social behavior, and that this correlates with low rates of lethal violence, suicide, sexual promiscuity, and abortion, as well as improved physical health. Societies that exhibit such positive evidence of religiosity are said to support so-called "cultures of life" where majority of the population believe in God, that they have been created for a special purpose in life, and that personal fulfillment rests on the free, voluntary, and loving correspondence to the moral indications of religion and faith. This is the stand, for example, of the Roman Catholic Church, the biggest global Christian denomination, where a previous leader (John Paul II, 1995) warned against the growing pro-abortion "culture of death" that is an offshoot of western secular materialism. Although the different Christian denominations are divided on a few key points of doctrine, where they all tend to find common ground is in sounding the warning on the negative social consequences of declining religiosity. Regardless of their theological differences, Christians consider it an important part of their purpose in life to transform humanity and the world into a community of love, peace, and understanding through the practice of religion. Right in the center of this mission of global spiritual transformation is America, currently the most powerful nation on earth. Its status makes it a role model of socio-cultural behavior for the rest of the world. America's cultural norms contained in varied economic outputs and political roles are sent physically and virtually to every corner of the world. Its multicultural and democratic character makes it an ideal laboratory to test the correlation between religion and social behavior. This study is part of this mission of transformation. An investigation of the linkage between religious and social behavior in a specific sector of the African-American demography addresses not only the challenge of helping form American, and thence global, culture and society from within but also the potential future consequence of helping transform other cultures around the world. The results could be of some use in the Church's evangelizing efforts in the African continent, one of the world's largest Christian mission territories. The important role of African-American Catholics in evangelization has been discussed extensively by Phelps (1997), who pointed out that African-American Catholics formed the biggest Christian group in America. Their social influence has been substantial in the history of American Catholicism and in American religious tradition. His views are supported by Copeland (2000) who demonstrated that African-American Catholics have had a long tradition of social impact in America. Also, Davis and Phelps (2001) cited several examples dating back to the 15th century European discovery of America where the colonizers were accompanied by Catholic African-Americans, most of them Spaniards of African origin who settled in the New World and contributed in no small way to social development. Other scholars (Raboteau, 1995; Cavendish, 2000) discussed the rich spiritual heritage of African-American evangelization and influence in American culture. Contemporary sociologists and psychologists have likewise studied the religiosity and social behavior of African-Americans. Burlew (1992) developed an approach to psychology research that is consistent with the African-American experience, behavior, and personality. She argued that researchers need to adjust the traditional Eurocentric norms of psychology research to adapt to the diversity of African-American families and children, and the forces affecting them. Hill (1993) proposed a holistic approach to the study of African-American families, taking into account the totality of family life rather than measuring isolated factors. This perspective includes external factors such as economics, racism, demographics, and governmental policies and internal considerations such as family structure, changes in the community, and widespread changes in values at the individual level. Littlejohn-Blake and Darling (1993) focused on the strengths of African American families and how they function, the relevant conceptual approaches and trends, and issues that can facilitate understanding. They identified characteristics of family strengths in relationship patterns, interpersonal competencies, and social and psychological characteristics that create a sense of positive identity. These characteristics, such as religion and spirituality, promote satisfying and fulfilling interactions among family members and between the family and society. They concluded that families that learn to build on their strengths can improve their interactions and satisfactions. Blake and Darling (2000) studied the quality of life of African American families using a resource exchange theory based on the premise that humans form interpersonal relationships in light of the rewards, costs, or outcomes such associations might be expected to bring. They concluded that exchanges among family members related to love, status, information, goods, services, and money are definite factors in the quality of life of African Americans, and that love is particularly important in the interactions within these families. They also found that males have a perceived higher quality of life than females among the African American sub-culture as a result of economics, education, gender roles, and a glass ceiling effect in churches where males lead while most of the membership are made up of women. Brody et al. (1991) used a family process model that linked maternal and paternal formal religiosity to marital interaction quality, parental co-caregiver support and conflict, parent-youth relationship quality, and parental use of inconsistent/nattering parenting strategies using a sample of 90 African-American youths and their married parents from the rural South. They concluded that religiosity was linked with higher levels of marital interaction quality and co-caregiver support and with lower levels of marital and co-caregiver conflict, that the association between religiosity and parent-youth relationship quality were mediated by the marital and co-caregiver relationships, and noted the presence of a spillover effect where the quality of spousal relationship affects the parenting practices. Lovell Smith et al. (1999) reviewed the literature on the linkage between religiosity across subgroups in society and their broad effects on the individual and how it shaped personal attitudes and behaviour towards oneself and others. Measuring the level of religiosity and altruism of African American Catholics above age 15 in Baltimore, they showed that African Americans reported greater personal impact of the worship experience and stronger feelings of community within their parishes compared to Whites, and that attendance and feelings of community comprise important conditions for altruism. Research Methodology and Expected Results The first step in testing the hypothesis is to assemble a controlled sample of the research population (the convenient number depends on the population of the community) of African American boys and girls between the ages 8 and 19 who exhibit positive social behavior and who belong to two-parent families. Church youth groups and school student councils may be used to gather names of volunteers who can participate in the study. The second step is to conduct a survey to measure the religiosity of the research sample using variables such as worship attendance, prayer frequency (how often) and duration (how many minutes or hours per week), knowledge of Christian doctrine, social attitudes (such as performing civic duties, patriotism, care for the poor and the sick), and for the teens, their attitudes to relevant social issues with rich doctrinal and moral dimensions such as pre-marital sex, abortion, marriage, divorce, love, and friendship. Following several of the studies cited it would be best to ask the help of some of the respondents in designing the survey questionnaire. The third step is to collate and analyze the results. The literature allows us to predict a positive correlation between practice of religion and positive social behavior. Therefore, young people who pray, worship, and enjoy family life would exhibit Christian attitudes and behavior, proving H.1 and H.2. It would likewise be interesting to find an inverse relationship between religion and behavior: people who pray but demonstrate negative behavior or people who deny they pray but demonstrate positive behavior. In the process, youth role models can be identified and the appropriate action can be taken. Reference List Aral, S. and Holmes, K. (1996). "Social and behavioral determinants of the epidemiology of STDs: Industrialized and developing countries", pp. 39-76 in Sexually Transmitted Diseases. (3rd Ed.) Edited by K. Holmes et al. New York: McGraw-Hill. Barro, R. and McCleary, R. (2003) Religion and economic growth across countries. American Sociological Review, 68, 760-81. Blake, W.M. and Darling, C.A. (2000). Quality of life: Perceptions of African Americans. Journal of Black Studies, 30 (3), 411-27. Brody, G. H., Stoneman, Z., Flor, D. and McCrary, C. (1991). Religion's role in organizing family relationships: Family process in rural, two-parent African American families. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 56 (4), 878-88. Burlew, K.H. (1992). African American psychology: Theory, research, and practice. London: Sage. Cavendish, J.C. (2000) Church-based community activism: A comparison of black and white catholic congregations. Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, 39 (3), 371-84. Copeland, M.S. (2000). Tradition and the traditions of African American Catholicism. Theological Studies, 61 (44), 632-55. Davis, C. and Phelps, J.T. (2004). Stamped with the image of God: African Americans as God's image in black (American Catholic identities). New York: Orbis. Hill, R.B. (1993). Research on the African-American family: A holistic perspective. New York: Praeger/Greenwood. Hummer, R., Rogers, R., Nam, C. and Ellison, C. (1999). Religious involvement and U. S. adult mortality. Demography, 36, 273-85. Idler, E. and Kasl, S. (1992). Religion, disability, and the timing of death. American Journal of Sociology, 97, 1052-79. Inglehart, R. and Baker, W. (2000). Modernization, cultural change, and the persistence of traditional values. American Sociological Review, 65, 19-51. Isaacson, W. (2003). Benjamin Franklin: An American life. New York: Simon andSchuster. John Paul II (1995). Evangelium vitae. Vatican: Vatican Library. Littlejohn-Blake, S.M. and Darling, C.A. (1993). Understanding the strengths of African American families. Journal of Black Studies, 23 (4), 460-71. Lovell Smith, H., Fabricatore, A. and Peyrot, M. (1999). Religiosity and altruism among African American males: The Catholic experience. Journal of Black Studies, 29 (4), 579-97. Paul, G.S. (2005). Cross-national correlations of quantifiable societal health with popular religiosity and secularism in the prosperous democracies. Journal of Religion and Science, 7, 1-21. Phelps, J.T. (ed.) (1997). Black and catholic: The challenge and gift of black folk contributions of African American experience and thought to Catholic theology. Milwaukee: Marquette University Press. Raboteau, A.J. (1995). A fire in the bones: Reflections on African-American religious history. Boston: Beacon Press. Read More