What is the study about?
The study explores how adolescents maintain their religious identities and beliefs while navigating through interactions with peers of other religious backgrounds. You can find more information about the project at our Research page.
What would we do?
We are asking you, as a member of a community organization like a school, church, or community center, to send out our Parent Letter to your email lists. This Parent Letter contains information on how to sign up to participate, so any interested families can contact us directly. Since participation in the study is now entirely virtual, you would not be involved in the process of data collection; we would coordinate the study process directly with the interested families who reach out to us
Why should we help?
By conducting this research exploring how adolescents reason about religious norms and practices, we will gain a deeper understanding of how today’s youth preserve their religious identities while navigating a world in which they are confronted with differing belief systems. By participating, students are given the agency to express their thought processes about the religious practices and beliefs of themselves and of their peers.
What will you do with your findings?
We plan to present this research in the community, in addition to publication, which would allow us to open up a dialogue within our local community about religious acceptance and peaceful coexistence in our society. We have also returned to schools in the past to present our findings and to give the students a presentation on the process of research. Our goal is for this study to represent the beginning of a collaborative and mutually beneficial relationship between the university and the local religious community.