The Role Religious Involvement Plays on the Literacy of African American Students: A Systematic Review

Abstract

AbstractThis review explored empirical studies from 2012 to 2022 to understand the influence of religious involvement on educational outcomes of African American students. Thirteen studies were analyzed first using a database to identify how the data related to three guiding tenets from Critical Race Theory. Then, a constant comparative analysis was used to identify themes found related to each tenet. Findings showed that this body of research underscores the importance of the Black Church’s community, relationships and trust, challenges to academic disparities, informal learning, faith-based learning, provision of access to programming, and spirituality as a support mechanism for academic success.Keywords: Black Churchliteracyacademic achievementreligion