Is Worldview Instruction Making a Difference?
August 15, 2023
Katherine Schultz
In many Christian organizations, developing a biblical worldview in students is part of the organization’s core mission. Which is great! I’m fully in favor of it! But did you ever stop to wonder if it’s actually happening? Is your worldview instruction actually even making a difference in the lives of your students?
Is Your Worldview Instruction Working?
For many organizations, particularly educational organizations like K-12 Christian schools, or Christian colleges and universities, as well as churches, parachurch organizations, and Christian camps, training centers and retreat centers, the question goes unanswered.
The leaders and staff work to develop a mature biblical worldview in students over the weeks, months, or even years those students are with them. But no one ever takes steps to determine if the work is bearing fruit. There are many anecdotes of students who live a life “worthy of the Lord” (Colossians 1:10). But there are also sad stories of students who turn away from the faith, either during their time in the organization, or after they leave.
And while only the Lord knows which of our students will put their trust in him, we can and should be helping them to examine themselves to see if they are in the faith (2 Corinthians 13:5). And if we want to help them develop in biblical worldview maturity, we should probably know where they are in that development when they start with us.
And of course, when we send them off into the world, it would also be good for us to understand where they are, so that we can, in turn, examine ourselves, to be honest about the effectiveness of our work, and open to making changes if it makes sense to better accomplish our mission.
How Can You Know?
Because knowing if our work is effective is better than just hoping.
So where to begin? The 3-Dimensional Worldview Survey, of course!
Several organizations use the survey as a pre-test/post-test resource, giving it to students as they enter a program, and to those finishing it. Most of those groups at this time are using it in school settings, giving the survey at the end of middle school, and the end of high school.
For example, Dr. Billy Fisher uses the survey at First Baptist Academy, Naples, FL, USA. Billy says, “We chose the 3DWS to use with our students because of the holistic picture it gives of a student’s worldview. In my research, many of the worldview surveys on the market focus on the propositional aspect of worldview. However, the 3DWS seeks to understand one’s beliefs, values, and actions. Gathering data on these three areas helped us as school administrators to know where to target our areas of Bible and biblical worldview instruction. We had our 8th and 12th grade students complete the 3DWS. For 8th grade, this gave us a baseline to see where our students are prior to going into high school. With 12th grade, it gave us a picture of our soon to be graduates and their worldview development. Having this data allowed us as an administration to have conversations around our programming and ways that we could make tweaks to help students grow in their biblical worldview.”
Others use it as part of a program by having students complete the survey early on, and then having students work through their results with a mentor. For example, Dr. Rob Lindemann uses the survey at Vanguard College and Seminary, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Rob says, “The Three-Dimensional Worldview Survey (#3-DWS), both in its underlying theoretical framework and its concrete application, have helped my students recognize the forces that have shaped their worldviews and what they must do to become more mature in their faith. I often tell students, “It’s time to take your worldview off of autopilot!” The implication is that worldviews are often shaped below the threshold of conscious awareness. They function like an autopilot taking us on a pre-determined trajectory through every action and reaction. The 3DWS raises a student’s level of conscious awareness and its results point them toward living a life that is worthy of the Lord and pleases him in every way.”
Now What?
If you are looking for a way to help determine the biblical worldview of your students, and to evaluate the effectiveness of your program in developing a mature biblical worldview in those students, read more about the survey below.
- What Is the 3-D Worldview Survey?
- Take the 3-D Worldview for yourself
- 10 Questions to Help Understand Worldview (free pdf)
And if you are ready to understand your students’ beliefs, behaviors, and attitudes with the 3-D Worldview Survey, click the link below to register and schedule a brief call to get your group survey set up.
#3dws, #biblicalworldview. #teachingworldview
