The Role of Religion in the Educational Success of Young Black Christian Students: Towards a Concept of ‘Faith Capital’

Abstract

This study provides new empirically based knowledge about Young Black Christian students’ (YBCS) perceptions of the contributory factors to their Educational Success. It also offers insights into a new emergent concept Faith Capital existing especially in the mind of those who believe in God. This study offers the concept Faith Capital as a contributory factor to the Educational Success of YBCS.

This study is rooted in the author’s role as a Pentecostal Christian Black woman and an educator, who entered the teaching profession in September 1995 hoping to make a difference. This study is looking at factors which support success rather than the usual studies which look at reasons for failure. This research offers the concept Faith Capital, from which academics and Black communities can identify a contributory factor to the Educational Success of YBCS. It addresses the key question: What is the role of religion in the Educational Success of YBCSs: towards a concept ‘Faith Capital’.

This research uses a constructivist methodological approach to explore concerns regarding Young Black Students (YBS) who are labelled as non-achievers. Their failure to attain Educational Success has been the subject of studies and debates over the last 40 years. Responses and interventions to these concerns have been numerous and varied.

The research question is explored using a variety of methodologies, allowing for the use of interdisciplinary approaches to understand the popular view of poor academic achievement for YBS. Through the literature review and empirical investigations of YBCS regarding what they perceive as contributory factors to their Educational Success the author concluded that the concept Faith Capital is a contributory factor to the Educational Success of YBCS.