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College Student Religious Affiliation and Spiritual Identity

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College Student Religious Affiliation and Spiritual Identity COLLEGE STUDENT RELIGIOUS AFFILIATION AND SPIRITUAL IDENTITY: A QUALITATIVE STUDY by Jenny L. Small A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy (Education) in The University of Michigan 2008 Doctoral Committee: Professor Edward P. St. John, Chair Associate Professor Lesley A. Rex Adjunct Associate Professor David Schoem Clinical Professor John C. Burkhardt © Jenny L. Small All rights reserved 2008 Dedication To Josh, for constant support And To Sophie, for constant inspiration ii Acknowledgments I would like to thank the following people who helped to make this dissertation possible. Each one contributed in a valuable way. Thank you to the clergy and advisors who reviewed my protocol, to ensure cultural sensitivity: Reverend Susan F. Sprowls, Lord of Light Lutheran Church; Rabbi Nathan Martin, University of Michigan Hillel Foundation; and Michael Olrogge, undergraduate contact for Unitarian Universalist Campus Ministry (UUSRL). In addition, I am grateful to the many other clergy and student leaders who helped me to reach out to potential participants for the study. Thank you to the three graduate students who co-facilitated focus groups with me, to ensure my understanding of diverse religions: Julie DeGraw, CSHPE; Ethan Stephenson, CSHPE; and N’Mah Yilla, Modern Middle Eastern and North African Studies. Thank you to the Rackham Graduate School at the University of Michigan, which provided me with a research grant to cover the costs of this project. Thank you to the members of my “dissertation support group,” who have been my friends since we started together in CSHPE: Allison Bell, Danielle Molina, Ethan Stephenson, and Janel Sutkus. Thank you to the members of my committee, each of whom has given me support, advice and encouragement throughout my time as a doctoral student and particularly iii during the dissertation phase: Edward St. John, CSHPE; John Burkhardt, CSHPE; Lesley Rex, Joint Program in English and Education; and David Schoem, Sociology. Finally, thank you to the 21 students who participated in this study, and who openly shared their insights, viewpoints, and deepest of beliefs. iv Table of Contents Dedication ....................................................................................................................... ii Acknowledgments .......................................................................................................... iii List of Tables ................................................................................................................... x List of Figures ................................................................................................................ xi List of Appendices ......................................................................................................... xii Abstract ........................................................................................................................ xiii Chapter 1: Introduction ................................................................................................... 1 Statement of the Problem .............................................................................................. 3 History of College Student Religious Involvement .................................................... 6 Religion and Spiritual Identity in Higher Education ................................................... 9 Study Design ............................................................................................................... 17 Research Questions ................................................................................................... 19 Scope ......................................................................................................................... 20 Limitations ................................................................................................................ 20 Definitions ................................................................................................................. 22 Overview of the Study............................................................................................... 24 Chapter 2: Review of the Literature .............................................................................. 26 College Student Development Theory ........................................................................ 26 Moral Development Theory ........................................................................................ 27 Lawrence Kohlberg ................................................................................................... 27 Faith Development Theory .......................................................................................... 32 James W. Fowler ....................................................................................................... 32 Sharon Daloz Parks ................................................................................................... 43 Religious Identity Development Theories................................................................. 46 Chapter 3: Conceptual Framework ................................................................................ 51 Analysis ....................................................................................................................... 51 v Faith Development Theory and Christians................................................................ 54 Faith Development Theory and Jews ........................................................................ 58 Faith Development Theory and Muslims .................................................................. 65 Faith Development Theory and Atheists ................................................................... 71 Complements and Contrasts between Faith Development Theory and all Considered Religions ............................................................................................................... 76 Faith Development Trajectory for Christianity ......................................................... 76 Faith Development Trajectories for Non-Christians ................................................. 81 Proposed Modifications to Faith Development Theory ............................................ 86 Reconstructed Conceptual Framework ........................................................................ 95 Chapter 4: Research Methods ...................................................................................... 103 Context ...................................................................................................................... 104 Data Collection .......................................................................................................... 106 Participant Recruitment and Selection .................................................................... 106 Focus Groups........................................................................................................... 109 Follow Up Writings ................................................................................................. 114 Interviews ................................................................................................................ 115 Methodology .............................................................................................................. 117 Qualitative Coding Analysis ................................................................................... 117 Discourse Analysis .................................................................................................. 119 Data Selection ............................................................................................................ 126 Triangulation ........................................................................................................... 128 Role of the Researcher ............................................................................................... 129 Trustworthiness ......................................................................................................... 134 Chapter 5: Analysis – Christian College Students ...................................................... 138 Results: Discourse Analysis ...................................................................................... 139 Segment 1 ................................................................................................................ 139 Segment 2 ................................................................................................................ 143 Segment 3 ................................................................................................................ 149 Post-Hoc Positioning and Face Saving ................................................................... 153 Discussion of Discourse Analysis ........................................................................... 154 vi Results: Qualitative Coding ....................................................................................... 156 Definitions and Aspects of “Religious” and “Spiritual” ......................................... 156 God Images and Associations ................................................................................. 157 Faith Influences, Faith Trajectories and Developmental Objectives ...................... 158 Learning from and Feelings about Focus Group Experience .................................. 171 Discussion of Qualitative Coding ..........................................................................
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