Dr. Sharyn Slavin Miller, Azusa Pacific University

Karen Beckers, Julie Law, Katherine Peters, Brittney Saldana, and Lena Vanda

The Intersection of Race and Religion: The Role of Spirituality in the Persistence of College Students

Note-card Exercise

Please take the note card you were handed as you walked in and write down your personal definition of spirituality.

Learning Outcomes

1. To gain an understanding of recent research findings that focus on how spirituality relates to the persistence of African American females in higher education.

2. To increase sensitivity to African American students and the importance of their faith in their developmental journey.

3. To develop strategies to engage African American women students in conversations about meaning and purpose in life.

Different Definitions of Spirituality

• Spirituality is the commitment to a particular paradigm that gives honor to the principles of interconnectedness and the inner being (hooks, 2000)*

• Faith is a process of discovering and creating connections among experience and events; the process of trying to find meaning and make sense of the “big picture” and establishing a sense of purpose (Fowler, 1981; Parks, 2000)*

• Religion refers to the collective expression through rites, myths, symbols, teachings, and music (Fowler, 2000)*. Religion is one way in which people choose to practice their spirituality.

• *as cited in Patton and McClure, 2009

Our Definition of Spirituality

•Spirituality is an individual pursuit for meaning, purpose, truth and value

•There is an internal awareness and an outward focus

Literature Review

•Faith and spirituality are important developmentally during the college years (Fowler, 1999; Parks, 2000; Astin, 2004; Bryant & Astin, 2008)

• In recent years, an increase in research and publications regarding student’s spirituality has provided information that supports the need for college student affairs staff and college campuses support students in their spiritual development (Parks, 2000; Patton & McClure, 2009; Rogers & Dantley, 2001; Watt, 2003)

Literature Continued

• Many college students look to their spirituality to help them deal with the challenges they face on campus (Parks, 2000; Jones, 2009)

• The importance of spirituality and faith for African American students has been researched (Chickering, Dalton, & Stamm, 2006; Robinson & Howard-Hamilton, 1994) and found to be a critical element in their lives, especially when dealing with racism and oppression (Stewart, 2002; Watson, 2006; Watt, 2003)

Methodology

•Six female undergraduate students who identify as African American

•Two were from private, religiously affiliated institutions, two from large state institutions, and two from community colleges

•All were from Southern California

•Semi-structured individual interviews that were recorded

•Recordings were analyzed and themes were identified

Interview Questions

• So tell me a little bit about what your college experience has been like.

• What gives purpose to your life?

• How have you seen that in your life during college?

• What have been some of the major struggles in your life during college?

• What has helped you during those times?

• Is there some way the institution could have provided additional support for you/what are some things the institution could do for you?

Individual Spirituality

• “I grew up in a home that focused around God.  Going to church are some of my earliest memories.  However, now I have been able to build on a different level of spirituality where I can have a deeper relationship with the Lord.”

• “God has given me everything that I need in life.  Even though at the time I thought that my daughter was a mistake, burden, issue….whatever you want to call it but now I see it as a gift from Him.”

• “I haven’t pushed myself to go to church and you know read the bible until I got here [college] and I start…I pray all the time but like I’ve prayed more and I’ve just been trying to give God all of the…to just come through me and me be okay with the way my direction…the way He directs my life because it’s hard.”

• “I think everything happens for a reason and He is just there in my life.”

• “I feel like its not about me, it's about something bigger than me, as a Christian I feel called to more."

Close Relationships (intentional)

• “I am very choosey about the friends that I make.  I don’t want to fall into the wrong crowd like I have seen some of my former friends do.”

• “I want to build strong friendships not acquaintances. I know where I am going and I want to have people in my life that will help me get there not create hurdles for me.”

• “I had my 1st job on campus last year. Now I have this job...  making my time more... positive, I guess because I feel like I'm surrounded by people who care about me and care that I'm a student, you know?”

• “I just have been fortunate to have a lot of great people that believe in me in my life including my parents, including my brothers and sisters, family friends, extended family because everywhere I go I’m catching an extended family whether it’s my bosses here, people at school, my advisor at school. I’ve just been very fortunate.”

• "I don't feel like my friends get it so I have to talk to my mom or journal."

Goal-oriented

• “I know where I am headed.  I feel that I have received my calling from God and I know what he wants me to do. Now that I know, I feel more determined to get there.”

• “Everything that I do is for me and my daughter.  I know what I have to do so it motivates me to get the job done.  Because of her, I have a goal in mind and I am determined to show not only her but everyone that I can make it.”

• “Just honestly I want to be that one person that sparks something in somebody or re-sparks it and if I can do that to one other person that will change the world.”

• "I am thinking about the big picture, what awaits for graduation keeps me moving."

Hope

• “Knowing that I have a goal to strive for I have hope for the future.  I know that with the Lord all things are possible.”

• “Life has been very hard so far for me but I know that God doesn’t give you any more than what you can handle.  I have high hope for myself and my daughter because the Lord will provide the pathway for us.”

• “Also, what gives me purpose is the fact that I can dream a dream and feel like I’m capable enough to go out and get it.”

• “With God anything is possible and with the right mind and heart I get affirmation every day that I am here that I am in the right place, at the right time, with the right people."

Small Group Discussion

In your groups, discuss:

1. What are catalysts and barriers to students’ spiritual quest on college campuses?

2. Share practices that college campuses utilize to create safe spaces for students to explore their spirituality

Best Practices

• CSU Super Sunday

• Learning communities (Astin, 2004)

• Service learning (Astin, 2004)

References

Astin, A. W. (2004). Why Spirituality Deserves a Central Place in Liberal Education. Liberal education, 90(2), 34-41.

Bryant, A. N., & Astin, H. S. (2008). The correlates of spiritual struggle during the college years. The Journal of Higher Education, 79(1), 1-27.

Chickering, A. W., Dalton, J. C., & Auerbach, L. S. (2006). Encouraging authenticity and spirituality in higher education. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Flowers, L.A. & Shuford, B.C. (2011). African American college students. In M.J. Cuyjet, M.F. Howard-Hamilton, & D.L. Cooper (Eds). Multiculturalism on campus: Theory, models and practices for understanding diversity and creating inclusion (pp. 143-167). Sterling Virginia: Stylus Publishing.

Fowler, J. W., & Prain, S. (1984). Becoming adult, becoming Christian: Adult development and Christian faith. San Francisco: Harper & Row.

Johnson, C. V., & Hayes, J. A. (2003). Troubled Spirits: Prevalence and predictors of religious and spiritual concerns among university students and counseling center clients. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 50(4), 409.

Parks, S. D. (2000). Big questions, worthy dreams: Mentoring young adults in their search for meaning, purpose, and faith. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Patton, L.D. & McClure, M.L. (2009). A qualitative examination of African American college women and the role of spirituality during college. The Journal of Negro Education, (78) 1, pp. 42-54.

Reynolds, A. L., Sneva, J. N., & Beehler, G. P. (2010). The influence of racism-related stress on the academic motivation of black and Latino/a students. Journal of College Student Development, 51(2), 135-149.

Robinson, T. L., & Howard-Hamilton, M. F. (1994). An Afrocentric paradigm: Foundation for a healthy self-image and healthy interpersonal relationships. Journal of Mental Health Counseling.

Rogers, J. L., & Dantley, M. E. (2001). Invoking the Spiritual in Campus Life and Leadership. Journal of college student development, 42(6), 589-603.

Stewart, D. L. (2002). The role of faith in the development of an integrated identity: A qualitative study of Black students at a White college. Journal of College Student Development, 43(4), 579-597.

Stewart, D.L. (2010). Knowing God, knowing self. In Terrell L. Strayhorn and Melvin C. Terrell (Eds.), The evolving challenges of Black college students: New insights for practice and research (pp. 9-25). Sterling Virginia:

Stylus Publishing.

Watson, L. W. (2006). The role of spirituality and religion in the experiences of African American male college students. African American men in college, 112-127.

Watt, S. K. (2003). Come to the river: Using spirituality to cope, resist, and develop identity. New directions for student services, 2003(104), 29-40.

Questions?

For more information:

Sharyn Slavin Miller, sharynmiller@apu.edu

Karen Beckers, kbeckers11@apu.edu

Julie Law, jlaw12@apu.edu

Katherine Peters, kpeters@apu.edu

Brittney Saldana, bsaldana12@apu.edu

Lena Vanda, lvanda11@apu.edu