3DWS Pre-Test and Post-Test: Measuring Biblical Worldview in Students
January 7, 2025
When students walk across the stage at graduation or finish a key course in your school or ministry, do you feel confident they’ve developed a mature biblical worldview–or that you have helped them develop in that direction? For many leaders in Christian education, this is a pressing question—and one that traditional methods of assessment rarely address effectively. How can you ensure your students have not only learned biblical truths but are living them out and holding a heart oriented toward Christ?
This is where pre-test and post-test evaluation with the 3-Dimensional Worldview Survey (3DWS) can bring clarity. By measuring students’ beliefs, behaviors, and heart-orientation before and after a program, you’ll gain actionable insights that help you strengthen your discipleship strategies.
Consider this: the apostle Paul reminded the Corinthians to “examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith” (2 Corinthians 13:5). Shouldn’t we also examine the spiritual growth of the students entrusted to us, and help them to examine themselves?
Why Pre-Test and Post-Test Evaluations Matter
Pre-test and post-test evaluations do more than provide data. They offer a snapshot of transformation. How has a student grown from the first day of freshman year to graduation? Or from the start of a semester-long Bible course to the end? Without measurement, this transformation often remains invisible.
A high school program at a classical Christian school recently used the 3DWS to assess incoming freshmen and graduating seniors. The results showed areas of strength, such as consistent church attendance, but also gaps, like applying biblical principles to cultural challenges. These insights led to targeted mentoring and curriculum adjustments.
Similarly, a release-time Bible education program in the Southeastern U.S. implemented the survey for a semester-long course. The pre-test revealed students’ limited understanding of worldview concepts, while the post-test demonstrated marked improvement in articulating a biblical worldview and recognizing competing worldviews in daily life.
As Proverbs 27:23 advises, “Be sure you know the condition of your flocks.” Using a tool like the 3DWS allows you to know your students’ spiritual condition and shepherd them accordingly.
What Makes the 3DWS Unique?
The 3-Dimensional Worldview Survey doesn’t stop at surface-level questions about doctrine. Instead, it digs deeper into three essential dimensions of worldview:
- Propositional Beliefs: What students know to be true.
- Everyday Behaviors: How they live out those truths.
- Heart Orientation Attitudes: Where their deepest loyalties lie.
This comprehensive approach ensures you’re not only identifying head knowledge but also addressing the integration of faith into life and the posture of students’ hearts toward God. As Jesus emphasized, the greatest commandment is to “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind” (Matthew 22:37). Each of these areas is vital to a mature biblical worldview.
Applications for High School Programs and Short-Term College Courses
One of the greatest strengths of the 3DWS is its adaptability. Whether you’re running a multi-year high school program or a semester-long high school or college course, the survey provides measurable benchmarks for growth.
For longer programs, like a high school track, using the survey at the beginning and end of the program can illuminate how effectively your curriculum is forming disciples. It helps answer questions like:
- Are students prepared to articulate their faith in a secular university setting?
- Do they understand how biblical principles apply to societal issues?
- Are their daily lives reflecting Christ’s teachings?
In shorter-term courses, the survey reveals how quickly students grasp and apply key worldview concepts. It also allows leaders to identify patterns—both strengths and areas for improvement—that can inform future courses.
Hebrews 12:1 reminds us to “run with perseverance the race marked out for us.” Whether the race is a four-year journey or a semester sprint, the 3DWS equips you to guide students well.
Using Data to Mentor and Disciple Students
Numbers alone don’t change hearts, but they can guide your efforts. When survey results reveal gaps in understanding or behavior, they create opportunities for mentoring and discipleship.
For example, a student who scores high in propositional beliefs but low in behavior might know biblical truth but struggle to live it out. As James 1:22 says, “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.” Targeted mentoring could focus on helping that student integrate their faith into practical areas of life, like friendships, decision-making, or online behavior.
Alternatively, a student with a strong heart orientation but limited biblical knowledge may benefit from more focused teaching on doctrine. As Paul urged Timothy, “Continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of” (2 Timothy 3:14).
- Exploring the Impact of Student Worldview in Decision Making
- Shining Light on a Biblical Worldview: Key Ideas for Student Understanding
Why Assessing Worldview Is Urgent Today
In a culture increasingly hostile to biblical values, students face constant challenges to their faith. From social media to secular classrooms, they are bombarded with competing worldviews. How can they stand firm if they don’t have a robust, 3-dimensional understanding of their faith?
By using the 3DWS, you’re equipping them to live as salt and light in the world (Matthew 5:13-16). You’re also strengthening your program’s impact, ensuring that you’re not just teaching lessons but transforming lives.
Get Started with the 10 Questions to Understand Worldview
Understanding your students’ worldview starts with asking the right questions. If you’re ready to take the next step, download our free PDF, 10 Questions to Understand Student Worldview. These questions are drawn from the 3DWS and will help you start exploring your students’ beliefs, behaviors, and heart orientation right away.
Now What?
When it comes to shaping a biblical worldview, we can’t afford to guess. Students need a firm foundation of beliefs, lives that reflect Christ, and hearts that remain loyal to Him. But sometimes, understanding where they stand—and how to guide them—isn’t easy.
The 3DWS is here to help. If you haven’t yet used the survey in your program, download our free PDF, 10 Questions to Understand Student Worldview, to get started. With this resource, you’ll be equipped to identify your students’ strengths and areas for growth, setting the stage for deeper discipleship.
As Proverbs 22:6 reminds us, “Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it.” Let’s work together to train up the next generation to think, live, and love as followers of Christ.
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What Is the 3-D Worldview Survey?
- Take the 3-D Worldview for yourself
If you haven’t yet used the 3DWS with your class, check out the free PDF, 10 Questions to Understand Student Worldview, or better yet, schedule your Q&A Set-up Call at the link below to get started.
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