PROFESSIONAL INQUIRY PROJECT:

DOES INCORPORATION OF
RELIGIOUS CONTEXT IN ENGLISH
LANGUAGE ARTS ENHANCE STUDENT
COMPREHENSION?
BY AMANDA OMILON
WHY THIS TOPIC?

• Passion and Interest

• A topic of conversation
• My first professional semester placement in a faith-based school
• Reoccurrences of religion and faith found in school-taught
literature
 RESEARCH
• Catholic schools might do better over time on literacy. Raw scores thus
indicate a strong Catholic elementary school advantage (Elder & Jepsen,
2014).
• Based on 59 researchers and analysts working in 35 societies across the
world, studies have found that Catholic schools lead to overall higher
achievement, lower drop out rates, and higher achievement especially for
disadvantaged students (Grace & O’Keefe, 2007).
• [A study done across Catholic schools found] four major conclusions: (a) the
somewhat greater effectiveness of Catholic schools relative to public
schools in their sample; (b) Catholic schools were beneficial to the
disadvantaged; (c) higher levels of discipline and more rigorous academic
demands account for the differences between the private and public
school level of achievement; and (d) Catholic schools do not have more of
a segregating effect than do the public schools (Fusco, 2005).
BIBLICAL ORIGINS OF LANGUAGE

“Religion remains in the language . . . but also in conceptions of the child” (Burke, 2011)
• “Like a lamb to the slaughter” (Isaiah 53:7)
• “Eat, drink, and be merry” (Ecclesiastes 8:15)
• “The blind leading the blind” (Matthew 15:14)
• “At your wit’s end” (Psalms 107: 23-27)
• “Wolf in sheep’s clothing (Matthew 7:15)
• “Scapegoat” (Leviticus 16:8)
• “A man after my own heart” (Samuel 13:14)
• “Set in stone” (Exodus 28:17 and Exodus 34)
• “Bite the dust” (Psalms 72)
CONTEXT ADMINISTERED
• Comparing Macbeth and Lady Macbeth to Pontius Pilate and his wife
• Lady Macbeth alludes to Pilate in stating “A little water clears us of this deed”
• Comparisons made in the play about the battle and Golgotha

• In the novel Lord of the Flies, a key character, Simon, reflects Christ in a plethora of ways including
characteristics, actions, views, and pure goodness

• In Peter Jackson’s adaptation of The Lord of the Rings, Gandalf is a symbol of Jesus, as he mentors
Frodo and reminds him to fight for the good in the world
• Characters such as Arwen offers her grace to save Frodo, and Boromir asks for forgiveness.
Two terms rooted in theological philosophy
RESULTS

• Out of all of the students who were tested, 47.4% were Catholic/Christian, and 52.6 did not
associate with any faith, belief, or religion, leading to an almost 50/50 split
• 89.5% of the class found that using religious archetypes in our novel study helped them
comprehend the characteristics of prominent characters in the book
• 73.7% of students believe that they have a stronger comprehension of all texts studied in
class compared to a class that did not use religious context
• 94.7% of the classroom, stated “Yes, using religious context helped my understanding”
QUOTES FROM STUDENTS
• “Using Christ as an example, when discussing Simon from Lord of the Flies, helped me understand [him] more. It was more in depth than just
saying he’s a “good” character. It shows us who he really is.”
• “If religious context wasn’t used, I wouldn’t have done as well in the course, as I need examples that ensure understanding.”
• “The class helped me connect my education to real life.”
• “The ties to Catholicism and Christianity helped me understand themes and symbols, however, it was the talk you gave on the Anishnaabe
perspective of the good and evil inside us that furthered my understanding. If religious context wasn’t used, the story, to me, would have
just been about two wolves.”
• “My understanding of literary terms such as allusion and allegory were solidified.”
• “Without using religious context, there is less room for thinking and interpretation.”

*Data has been taken from both faith-based and non faith-based students
RESOURCES

• Burke, K. J., & Segall, A. (2011). Christianity and its legacy in education. Journal of Curriculum
Studies, 43(5), 631-658. doi:10.1080/00220272.2011.590232
• Christ the Redeemer Catholic Schools. (2019). Retrieved 20 November 2019, from
http://redeemer.ab.ca/index.phpElder, T., & Jepsen, C. (2014). Are Catholic primary schools more
effective than public primary schools? Journal of Urban Economics, 80, 28-38.
• Fusco, J. S. (2005). Exploring Values in Catholic Schools. Journal of Catholic Education, 9 (1).
http://dx.doi.org/10.15365/ joce.0901072013
• Grace, G. & O’Keefe, J.M. (2007). Catholic schools facing the challenges of the 21st century: An
overview. In G. Grace, J. O’Keefe, J. (Eds.). International handbook of Catholic
education: Challenges for school systems in the 21st century (pp. 1-11). Dordrecht: Springer.
• Zondervan. (2011). Holy Bible.