Factors Related to In-Class Spiritual Experience: Relationship Between Pre-Class Scripture Reading, In-Class Note-Taking, and Perceived In-Class Spiritual Experiences

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between student in-class note-taking and pre-class reading with perceived in-class spiritual and religious outcomes. This study surveyed 620 students enrolled in six different sections of an introductory religion course at a private religious university. Full-time religious faculty members taught these students. Data were gathered via a self-report Likert scale survey instrument. Results showed a modest, positive relationship between both in-class note-taking (r = .32) and pre-class reading (r = .26) with in-class spiritual experience, with both factors explaining 15.6% of the combined variance of student reported in-class spiritual experience. This article explores the practical implications from these findings.

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Notes on contributors

John Hilton

John Hilton III is an Assistant Professor in Religious Education at Brigham Young University. His research interests include pedagogy in religious education as well the creation and use of Open Educational Resources.

Anthony R. Sweat

Anthony R. Sweat is an Assistant Professor of Church History and Doctrine at Brigham Young University whose research centers on student-level and teacher-level factors influencing teaching and learning in religious education.

Kenneth Plummer

Kenneth Plummer is a consultant at Brigham Young University's Center for Teaching and Learning. His research interests include making decision-based learning pedagogies accessible in the classroom and developing affective and performance assessments.