An evaluation of the effectiveness of Reformed Christian schooling in terms of academic contingent self-worth: an American case in the late 1980s

This study aimed to shed new light on the effectiveness of Reformed Christian schooling considering that academic development and religious socialisation are substantially related in Reformed Christian schools. Specifically, this study theoretically elaborated the idea that weak academic contingent self-worth could be an indicator that captures the school effect on students’ religious socialisation in the academic domain. On top of that, using the indicator, this study empirically analysed the impact of Reformed Christian schooling by conducting pooled ordinary least squares regression analysis with dummy interaction terms to nationally representative data on American secondary school students in 1988. As a result, no empirical evidence was found to confirm the normative expectation that students from Reformed Christian schools would form weaker academic contingent self-worth than students from public schools. Such a result suggests that at least during the late 1980s, Reformed Christian schooling may not have been effective in helping students internalise a Reformed Christian view on academic development.