Do College Students Who Identify with a Privileged Religion Experience Greater Spiritual Development? Exploring Individual and Institutional Dynamics

Abstract

College student spiritual development constitutes an important, yet understudied topic in higher education research. In particular, very little is known about whether and how this development varies among students from diverse religious backgrounds. Using a longitudinal sample of 14,527 students from 136 institutions, the current study explored the degree to which spiritual development is related to the religious affiliations of students and the type of colleges and universities they attend. Hierarchical linear modeling analyses demonstrate numerous differences between students who identify with religious majority groups (e.g., Lutherans, Methodists), religious minority groups (e.g., Muslims, Seventh Day Adventists), and no religion at all. In most instances, the presence of individual differences in spiritual development depends upon the religious affiliation of the institution. Moreover, several college experiences are positively associated with spiritual development. Implications for higher education practitioners and administrators are discussed.Although it has received relatively little attention in the higher education literature, spiritual development may constitute one of the most important outcomes of the college experience. The title of Parks' (2000) seminal book, Big Questions, Worthy Dreams, aptly describes college students' spiritual quest and development. She argues that the traditional college years constitute a critical period in which questions of spirituality, meaning, and

Complicating Universal Definitions: How Students of Diverse Worldviews Make Meaning of Spirituality

“…Aligned with recent evidence that students' religion/worldview shapes how they perceive and experience their campus and change while in college (Bowman, Felix, & Ortis, 2014;Bowman & Small, 2010, 2012Bowman & Toms Smedley, 2013;Bryant, 2011;Bryant Rockenbach & Mayhew, 2013, 2014Mayhew, 2012;Mayhew et al, 2014;Mayhew & Bryant Rockenbach, 2012), this study supports the assertion that unique spiritual meanings are apparent for different worldview identities. Essential meanings of spirituality, universal to all students, are only part of the story.…”

“…The influence of college environments and experiences is not entirely uniform. An emerging stream of scholarship demonstrates students' religion/worldview influences how they perceive and experience their campus and whether and how these experiences encourage spiritual growth (Bowman, Felix, & Ortis, 2014;Bowman & Small, 2010, 2012Bowman & Toms Smedley, 2013;Bryant, 2011;Bryant Rockenbach & Mayhew, 2013, 2014Mayhew, 2012;Mayhew, Bowman, & Bryant Rockenbach, 2014;Mayhew & Bryant Rockenbach, 2012).…”

Religious/Worldview Identification and College Student Success

“…56 Even when considering these (and other) entering characteristics, nones have the greatest increases in religious Religion/Worldview and Success 121 skepticism and the most pronounced decreases in religious commitment and spiritual identification. 57 They also experience less spiritual struggle and are less committed to their worldview than are religious majority students. 58 These disparities extend beyond spiritual and religious outcomes; nones have the lowest college satisfaction and the greatest declines in subjective well-being, along with the least charitable involvement and compassionate self-concept, of any religion=worldview.…”

Religious Commitment, Skepticism, and Struggle Among U.S. College Students: The Impact of Majority/Minority Religious Affiliation and Institutional Type

“…Bryant et al (2003) observed similar benefits for involvement in religious activities among students attending Protestant institutions. Additional longitudinal research demonstrated that students at non‐Catholic religious institutions had greater gains in spiritual identification and increases in eudaimonic well‐being (living one's life to the fullest) than those at secular schools (Bowman and Small 2010, in press). Students at Adventist Christian colleges scored higher than students at secular colleges on measures of commitment to the church, personal religious commitment, agreement with life‐style standards, and a grace orientation (Dudley 1999).…”