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Christian Mission Heritage SeriesOctober 28, 2008
Don ThompsonProfessor of Mathematics
Associate Vice President of Educational and Institutional Research
Cindy Miller-PerrinProfessor of Psychology
Chair of Social Science Division
Student Development Survey Goal: To understand how students define vocation and
develop their own personal sense of vocation
2002 – 2006 Surveyed 300 students Surveyed at 5 different time periods
Baseline – summer before beginning at Pepperdine Each spring throughout undergraduate career
Cell-Phone Text Message Poll
What is Vocation?
The secular definition views vocation as work or career
Vocation is God’s calling for one’s life – the reason God made you
Vocation is the intersection of faith development and identity development
Vocation is “the place where your deep gladness and the world’s deep hunger meet”
Total applications: 7414, total enrolled: 838 (11%)
GPA 3.69 SAT Verbal 610 SAT Math 621 SAT Writing 605
Cell-Phone Text Message Poll
Motives, Discernment, and
Barriers
Seattle, WashingtonPsychology Major
Class of 2009Graduate School
Bound
College years are “critical years” in vocational development
College students consider issues associated with personal identity, faith beliefs, and career options
Faith, identity, and vocational development are not uniform across the college years
Subscales Sample Items
Strength of Belief(alpha = .81)
•I view myself as a religious person.•I have doubts about whether my religious beliefs are true.
Faith Behavior(alpha = .88)
•How often do you attend religious services?•How often have you read a devotional, religious, or spiritual book in the last year?
Application of Faith(alpha = .90)
•I depend on my faith in God for decision-making and direction.•I try hard to carry my religious beliefs into all other dealings in my life.
Students receive scores on four identity scales:◦ Diffusion: no exploration or commitment
“I haven’t really considered politics. It just doesn’t excite me much.”◦ Foreclosure: no exploration, but commitment
“My parents decided a long time ago what I should go into for employment and I’m following through with their plans.”
◦ Moratorium: exploration without commitment “Religion is confusing to me right now. I keep changing my views on what is
right and wrong for me.”◦ Achievement: exploration and commitment
“It took me a while to figure it out, but now I really know what I want for a career.”
Subscales Sample Items
Discernment and Purpose(alpha = .76)
•I have a good sense for my life purpose.•I know of the many ways that I can use my gifts and talents within the context of my professional career.•I am unsure about what God is specifically calling me to do.
Service to Others(alpha = .68)
•I am motivated to choose a career that will enable me to provide some type of service to others.•I feel a deep sense of responsibility for reducing pain and suffering in the world.
Subscales Barriers to life purpose fulfillment
Personal Barriers(alpha = .84)
•Fear•Emotional Problems•Self-doubt•Lack of motivation
Interpersonal Barriers(alpha = .86)
•A parent•A friend•A boy/girl friend•A teacher or professor
Social and Cultural Barriers(alpha = .90)
•Lack of financial resources•Feeling pressure or a desire to get married•Feeling that my opportunities are limited by the gender stereotypes of society
05
1015202530354045
Bas
elin
e
Fir
st Y
ear
So
ph
om
ore
Jun
ior
Sen
ior
Belief Strength
Behavior
Application
Strength of Belief varied significantly over time
Faith Behavior varied significantly over time
Application of Faith did not vary significantly over time
0
0.5
1
1.5
2
2.5
3
3.5
4
4.5
5
Baseline
First-Year
Sophomore
Junior
Senior
Faith
Religion
10
15
20
25
30
35
Baseline First-Year Sophomore Junior Senior
Diffusion
Foreclosure
Moratorium
Achievement
0
0.5
1
1.5
2
2.5
3
3.5
4
Baseline First-Year Sophomore Junior Senior
00.51
1.52
2.53
3.54
4.55
Baseline
First-Year
Sophomor
Junior
Senior
Financial
Personal
Service
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
Bas
elin
e
Fir
st Y
ear
So
ph
om
ore
Jun
ior
Sen
ior
Personal
Total Personal Barriers scores varied over time, marginally
South Bend, Indiana
Philosophy MajorClass of 2008
Law School Bound
College students experience significant developmental variation over time◦ Strength of faith belief◦ Faith behavior◦ Identity development
Foreclosure, Moratorium, Achievement
◦ Personal Barriers
Faith matters – Stay spiritually nourished, seek wisdom
Know Thyself – look for ways to challenge your assumptions
Barriers are real – live through and with them Sophomore year - expect a watershed Purpose - bigger and broader than your career
