Exploring the Impact of Religious Beliefs and Ethical Principles on Undergraduate Students’ Critical Thinking and Academic Performance at the University of Cape Coast, Ghana

The study explored the impact of religious beliefs and ethical principles on students’ critical thinking and academic performance. This study employed a sequential explanatory design within a mixed-methods approach grounded in a pragmatic paradigm. The quantitative data were gathered using a simple random sampling technique to select 100 undergraduate students who attend Protestant and Charismatic churches on campus at the University of Cape Coast, Ghana and who completed the questionnaires. Using purposive sampling, the qualitative data were collected through individual semi-structured interviews with three male and two female prayer leaders from five denominational churches. A thematic analysis approach was used to identify the key themes. Ethical considerations, including confidentiality, anonymity, informed consent, and access, were rigorously followed throughout the study. Quantitative data were analysed using frequency counts, percentages, mean and standard deviation. Pearson product-moment correlation coefficient (r) and independent sample t-test were applied to test the research hypotheses. The findings revealed a philosophical connection between religious beliefs and ethical principles in shaping students’ critical thinking and academic performance. Participants consistently identified believing in prayers and miracles as indispensable pillars of their intellectual and ethical frameworks, viewing divine intervention as a complementary force reinforcing their academic pursuits and life challenges. Though acknowledging the value of personal effort, the students emphasised that their belief in a supreme being is a core source of motivation and resilience. Believing in prayers and miracles augments self-discipline, reflection, and ethical decision-making, even when these beliefs contradict pure logic. Despite the benefits to students, tension was revealed between their spiritual commitments and academic responsibilities, with some students struggling to balance the two. Moreover, the study revealed a significant divergence between faith-based reliance and humanist perspectives, which prioritise personal autonomy and critical reasoning. Nonetheless, belief in prayers and miracles showed a weak positive correlation with critical thinking skills; other factors such as educational background, teaching methods, and personal attributes like motivation and self-efficacy played a significant role in students’ academic performance. However, no significant gender differences were observed in the impact of these beliefs on critical thinking and academic performance, indicating that the influence of spirituality is equally felt across genders. It is recommended that institutions, devout religious educators and professors, policymakers, and stakeholders adopt a holistic approach that integrates both spiritual and intellectual development among students. It is also recommended that administrators, educators, and professors integrate ethical reasoning and critical thinking into the curriculum to respect diverse belief systems and foster spirituality and academic performance among university students.