Journal of Amish and Plain Anabaptist Studies: Volume 3, Issue 1 (Spring 2015)

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https://kb.osu.edu/handle/1811/69360

Issue DOI: https://doi.org/10.18061/1811/69360

Front Matter
pp. i-iii
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Special Section on Plain Anabaptist Education

Introduction to the Special Section

Amish Education: A Synthesis
Anderson, Cory pp. 1-24
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Articles

Old Order Amish Education: The Yoder Decision in the 21st Century
Johnson-Weiner, Karen pp. 25-44
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An Assessment of the Educational Choices of Emerging Adults from a Small Mennonite Denomination and their Later Church and Service Involvement
Ziegler, Daniel A. pp. 45-70
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Research Note

Practicality and Identity as Functions of Education in Old Order Mennonite and Hutterite Communities
Zimmerman, Janelle M. pp. 71-93
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Regular Article

Doubling Time and Population Increase of the Amish
Donnermeyer, Joseph F. pp. 94-109
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Book Reviews

Symposium Review of Unser Leit: The Story of the Amish by Leroy Beachy
Anderson, Cory; Miller, Crist; Raber, Anna; Petrovich, Christopher G.; Beachy, Leroy pp. 110-123
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Book Reviews
Smith, William L.; Reiling, Denise; Swartz, John; Schlabach, Gracia; Greksa, Lawrence P.; Eberle, Donald; Jany, Berit pp. 124-147
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Back Matter
pp. 148-150
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Now showing 1 - 9 of 9

Front Matter (Volume 3, Issue 1, Spring 2015)
(Ohio State University. Libraries, 2015)
Amish Education: A Synthesis
(Ohio State University. Libraries, 2015) Anderson, Cory
Amish education is one of the most researched subtopics in Amish studies. This article is a meta-analysis of the existing literature about Amish education, finding that most research discusses how the parochial school system functions to socialize students into the broader Amish social system. In particular, the school socializes students into (1) several major Amish defining internalized dispositions, ideologies, and outlooks and (2) the meso- and micro-level Amish social structure. Several anomalies do exist, including their educational approach to special needs children, parochial school dysfunctions, and alternative schooling methods. The article concludes with suggestions for future research, including more rigorous ethnographic studies that better divulge latent functions and the utilization of other theories to unlock other implicit patterns.
Old Order Amish Education: The Yoder Decision in the 21st Century
(Ohio State University. Libraries, 2015) Johnson-Weiner, Karen
Prior to the 1972 ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court in Wisconsin v. Yoder, et al., parents found themselves in court in a number of states. This essay explores the Yoder decision and its relevance for the Amish today, contrasting the understanding of Amish life implicit in the Supreme Court decision with the reality of the twenty-first century Amish world. In particular, it notes that the agency afforded the Amish by the Supreme Court’s decision in the Yoder case means that, as the Amish increasingly engage with the mainstream, education has for many become less about isolating children from the world than it is about shaping their interaction with it. It also notes that, in contrast to the court’s findings, those communities most closely meeting the court’s understanding of the Amish world are generally the least able or willing to provide an education judged “adequate” by external standards, largely because they are uninterested in evaluating their schools by any standards except those of their own community. Finally, it explores the legacy of Wisconsin v. Yoder, et al. for future litigation and for today’s Amish schools.
An Assessment of the Educational Choices of Emerging Adults from a Small Mennonite Denomination and their Later Church and Service Involvement
(Ohio State University. Libraries, 2015) Ziegler, Daniel A.
This study was designed to provide Rosedale Bible College, a Conservative Mennonite Conference school in Ohio, with critical information to increase its understanding of the educational choices of emerging adults from its sponsoring denomination and the way those choices correlate with church involvement and volunteerism later in life. The study also offers a glimpse into the educational and religious context of these young adults and the denomination they were part of as youth. A 16-question survey was distributed to 1,068 individuals ages 26-32 who attended one of the denomination’s churches when in high school. The survey queried respondents on personal data, educational choices, church involvement, and volunteerism. A total of 240 valid surveys were received, including 47 respondents who had attended the denomination’s college. Through cross tabulation and testing for statistical significance, the research found that attendance at the denomination’s college was moderately related to greater regular church attendance compared to those who did not attend the college. In addition, attendance at the college was moderately related to a lower likelihood of regular civic volunteerism. Research also found a strong relationship between a secular education and a lower likelihood of regular church attendance later in life, compared to those who participated in formal religious educational experiences as young people.
Practicality and Identity as Functions of Education in Old Order Mennonite and Hutterite Communities
(Ohio State University. Libraries, 2015) Zimmerman, Janelle M.
This study is an exploration of common structures, theories, and practices among the educational systems of selected Anabaptist communities, focusing on a Midwestern Schmiedeleut Hutterite community and the Groffdale Conference (Old Order) Mennonites in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. Building on ideas of utopian communities, this research suggests two key foci of education as practiced in Hutterite and Old Order Mennonite communities. The first is identity, both of the community—as manifested by a common purpose and identity—and of the individual—as manifested by a belief in free will. The second is practicality, both in the physical (pragmatic) and metaphysical (idealistic) realm. Anabaptist communities tend to perceive education as highly important to the continued meaningful existence of the community because education serves as a means of socializing children and youth into community norms, standards, and beliefs.
Doubling Time and Population Increase of the Amish
(Ohio State University. Libraries, 2015) Donnermeyer, Joseph F.
Current estimates of Amish population growth often cite a “doubling time” figure, but fail to substantiate the source from which the estimate was derived. As well, some estimates of population increase, such as by the Young Center for Anabaptist and Pietist Studies at Elizabethtown College, use net change in the number of church districts as a proxy to determine population change, rather than a more precise counting up of children and adults. Unfortunately, a direct “head count” of the Amish, and changes in this count overtime to create a doubling time estimate, would be very daunting, Until there is a valid database from which this can be accomplished, an alternative is to calculate doubling time based on net change in the number of households in various Amish settlements from one year to the next. In this article, end-of-year statistics submitted by scribes from hundreds of Amish settlements to a monthly periodical known as The Diary are used to estimate doubling time. Five time periods, each representing consecutive years from 2009 through 2014 for which the number of households for the same settlement is reported, are used to create a doubling time estimate. Altogether, there were 673 data-points for which consecutive year information about the same settlement was available. The article discusses possible limitations to using The Diary and households to calculate a doubling time, as well as the possible uses of an accurate doubling time estimate for research and application.
Symposium Review of Unser Leit: The Story of the Amish by Leroy Beachy
(Ohio State University. Libraries, 2015) Anderson, Cory; Miller, Crist; Raber, Anna; Petrovich, Christopher G.; Beachy, Leroy
Book Reviews
(Ohio State University. Libraries, 2015) Smith, William L.; Reiling, Denise; Swartz, John; Schlabach, Gracia; Greksa, Lawrence P.; Eberle, Donald; Jany, Berit
Back Matter
(Ohio State University. Libraries, 2015)

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