The pedagogical benefits of religiosity in Hungarian students in three countries

Abstract

Former studies have revealed that Hungarian denominational schools influence favourably the school career of pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds. It has been pointed out that these schools reduce the inequality of cultural capital with the help of organic relationships and cohesion between parents and children in the school community. The aim of the author is to reveal the interpretational capacity of the social capital theory in connection with the differences between the pupils' achievements. The focus is on the structures and contents of pupils' relationships, taken within the social framework and norms of the religious community. The analysis is based on data gathered in the border regions of three east-central European countries, namely Hungary, Romania and Ukraine.