Faith in Transition: a Phenomenological Study of Christian
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FAITH IN TRANSITION: A PHENOMENOLOGICAL STUDY OF CHRISTIAN COLLEGE STUDENT LEADERS’ FAITH EXPERIENCES AFTER GRADUATION Dissertation Submitted to The School of Education and Health Sciences of the UNIVERSITY OF DAYTON In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for The Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Educational Leadership By Robert Thomas Lutz UNIVERSITY OF DAYTON Dayton, Ohio December 2019 FAITH IN TRANSITION: A PHENOMENOLOGICAL STUDY OF CHRISTIAN COLLEGE STUDENT LEADERS’ FAITH EXPERIENCES AFTER GRADUATION Name: Lutz, Robert Thomas APPROVED BY: Michele M. Welkener, Ph.D. Committee Chair Jason Combs, Ph.D. Committee Member Alan Demmitt, Ph.D. Committee Member Charles J. Russo, J.D., Ed.D. Committee Member ii © Copyright by Robert Thomas Lutz All rights reserved 2019 iii ABSTRACT FAITH IN TRANSITION: A PHENOMENOLOGICAL STUDY OF CHRISTIAN COLLEGE STUDENT LEADERS’ FAITH EXPERIENCES AFTER GRADUATION Name: Lutz, Robert Thomas University of Dayton Advisor: Dr. Michele M. Welkener Understanding how individuals make meaning of their faith has been researched for generations, with some important studies (Fowler 1981; Parks, 2011) delineating how such individuals construct and develop their faith over a lifetime. Likewise, a great deal of studies have explored how college students approach faith (Astin, Astin, & Lindholm, 2011; Chickering, Dalton & Stamm, 2006), and how universities can support such exploration. However, little research has been completed to investigate how students transition from college experience to adult life (Fox, 2011), and no research to date explores how students make meaning of their faith in the post-college transition. To fill that gap, this dissertation presents a qualitative, phenomenological study aimed at providing insight into how recent college student leader graduates of a Christian institution make meaning of personal faith during the post-graduation transition. To better understand how these Christian college student leaders constructed their faith after college, the researcher employed one-on-one interviews, using the general interview guide approach (Patton, 2002), and a pre-interview questionnaire from 15 recent graduates from a religiously affiliated, liberal arts university in the Midwest. iv Participants provided rich descriptions of their current faith through personally chosen words and metaphors. They expressed a desire to build supports for their faith in the midst of transition by creating a place for their faith to be integrated in their new life experiences, seeking opportunities to practice their faith, and building connections to people who helped and challenged their faith. Finally, they detailed the faith challenges they faced as a result of transition out of university life. Through analysis of faith descriptions, the findings of the study revealed that the transition fostered reflection on the meaning of participants’ faith, and the supports and challenges of their faith both in college and in the midst of transition. The participants in this study also expressed a desire to reflect on the construct of their faith while maintaining their beliefs, or faith content. These recent graduates were also focused on building supports for their faith which would help them navigate challenges they faced in their transition and future life. Finally, as they reflected on their faith and focused on building such faith supports, they used the faith supports they found in their college experience as comparison points for their current faith needs. Research findings suggest that more could be done by students, higher education professionals, and faith communities to prepare students for the post-college transition and to support graduates as they reflect on the construct of their faith and build faith support structures. Ultimately, these groups need to become more educated about this phenomenon to help future graduates find, create, or integrate into various faith communities following the college experience. v I dedicate this dissertation to my wife and children. Clara, I love you! You have patiently and lovingly supported me through each stage of this study. You have given more to this study than even me, by sacrificing your time to help me and care for our children, by encouraging me to keep going, and by believing in me and this work. Words can never express how thankful I am to have you by my side through this journey and each of life’s “transitions.” Thank you, Vivian, Ryle, and Wynafred, for unconditionally loving your daddy, even when he had to spend many nights and weekends working on this study. You each bring me such joy and pride. I hope watching me complete this research encourages you to dedicate yourselF to hard work and lifelong learning. More importantly, I hope that you grow to experience a faith that will support you through each of life’s transitions and changes. vi ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The accomplishment of completing this study would not be possible without the support of a multitude of people. Though impossible to include everyone, I would like to briefly acknowledge some key groups and individuals who helped me through this endeavor. First, I want to express my indebtedness to my participants. I am thankful they allowed me to share their stories and experiences. I am grateful and blessed to have learned from each of you. I also want to thank my committee. I am especially grateful for my committee chair, Dr. Michele M. Welkener. Her guidance, patience and faith in me through each part of my academic journey was critical for my success and growth as an aspiring scholar. I also would like to thank my committee members; Dr. Charles J. Russo, for his influence, insight and wisdom; Dr. Alan Demmitt, for his interest in my research and calming presence; and Dr. Jason Combs, for being so willing to help me in my time of need. My family has been the single greatest source of support and encouragement throughout my doctoral studies. My wife, Clara, and my children have loved me unconditionally and cheered me over each hurdle of the process. My mom has believed in me and encouraged me in this process and throughout my life. My brother and sister and their families have patiently put up with the hassles I have created while completing this study and shown their pride in me throughout. My dad supported me in my education and challenged me to be excellent. My father-in-law has been a significant vii prayer warrior for me and an important source of unspoken accountability. My mother- in-law has been an example of a servanthood in helping my family so that I could work. In addition, the Kobers, Kings, Hersheys, and Moores have been constant cheerleaders. I love each of you. Thank you! My close friends have also been an essential help to me as I navigated the challenges of this work. Dr. Aaron has been my lifelong friend, but even more my competitive and faithful brother. Joe has been my loyal friend through thick and thin. Mike has continued to pray for me. Matt has also been a source of encouragement throughout my studies. Thank you, men. In addition, my pastor and the men of my church continually prayed for me as I wrote. I started my doctoral work while working at a previous institution and I am indebted to their assistance and support of me. In particular, Carl opened my eyes to higher education as a career calling and became a mentor to me professionally and academically. Kirsten has been a role model of faithfulness and friendship to me. Her support was invaluable. Brad was a patient and prayerful guide and friend to me. Brian has been a loyal friend and brother to me throughout this process and my career. I thank each of you. The people of my current institution have been equally encouraging. The President challenged me to finish and believed in my leadership. Kevin went out of his way to support me and give me opportunities for success professionally and academically. Kate has gone above and beyond as a colleague and friend to push me toward completion. Mary has been proactive in creating space for me to work and always kindly supported my work. The hard work and dedication of each person within viii Student Development was appreciated in making this work possible. The Cabinet has also been patient with me and constantly supportive. Thank you, all! Finally, I thank God for his mercy and faithfulness. He is the source of my faith. To Him be the glory! ix TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT ....................................................................................................................... iv DEDICATION ................................................................................................................. vi ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ............................................................................................ vii CHAPTER I OVERVIEW OF THE PROBLEM ........................................................... 1 CHAPTER II REVIEW OF RELEVANT LITERATURE ............................................ 21 CHAPTER III METHODOLOGY/METHODS .............................................................. 87 CHAPTER IV FINDINGS ............................................................................................. 119 CHAPTER V DISCUSSION ........................................................................................ 169 REFERENCES .............................................................................................................. 209 APPENDICES A. Introductory E-mail .....................................................................................