Christian Mission Heritage Series
September 15, 2009

Don Thompson
Professor of Great Books & Mathematics
Cindy Miller-Perrin
Professor of Psychology
Chair of Social Science Division

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
Student Development Survey
Goal: To understand how students define vocation and develop their own personal sense of vocation
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2002 – 2006
Surveyed 300 students
Surveyed at 5 different time periods
 Baseline – summer before beginning at Pepperdine
 Each spring throughout undergraduate career

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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”

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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

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Total applications: 6407, total enrolled: 815 (13%)
GPA 3.66
SAT Verbal 604
SAT Math 623
SAT Writing 610

Business
Communication
Fine Arts
Humanities
International Studies & Languages
Natural Science
Social Science
Undeclared

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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.”

35
30
25
20
15
10
Baseline First-Year Sophomore Junior Senior
Diffusion
Foreclosure
Moratorium
Achievement

Universal City, TX
International Studies
- Political Studies
Class of 2010
Fulbright Scholarship to Bangladesh or
Peace Corps or
Graduate School at
Columbia U.

5
4.5
4
3.5
3
2.5
2
1.5
1
0.5
0
B as el in e
Fi rs t-
Y ear
Sop hom or e
Ju ni or
Se ni or
Faith
Religion

Subscales
Strength of Belief
(alpha = .81)
Faith Behavior
(alpha = .88)
Application of Faith
(alpha = .90)
Sample Items
•
I view myself as a religious person.
•
I have doubts about whether my religious beliefs are true.
•
How often do you attend religious services?
•
How often have you read a devotional, religious, or spiritual book in the last year?
•
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.

45
40
35
30
25
20
15
10
5
0
Belief Strength
Behavior
Application
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Strength of
Belief varied significantly over time
Faith Behavior varied significantly over time
Application of
Faith did not vary significantly over time

5
4.5
4
3.5
3
2.5
2
1.5
1
0.5
0
Financial
Personal
Service

Subscales
Personal
Barriers
(alpha = .84)
Interpersonal
Barriers
(alpha = .86)
Social and
Cultural Barriers
(alpha = .90)
Barriers to life purpose fulfillment
•
Fear
•
Emotional Problems
•
Self-doubt
•
Lack of motivation
•
A parent
•
A friend
•
A boy/girl friend
•
A teacher or professor
•
Lack of financial resources
•
Feeling pressure or a desire to get married
•
Feeling that my opportunities are limited by the gender stereotypes of society

26
25
24
23
22
21
20
Personal

Total Personal
Barriers scores varied over time, marginally

Seattle, Washington
Psychology Major
Class of 2009
Clinical Ph.D. student -
Fuller Theological
Seminary Student

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College students experience significant developmental variation over time
◦ Strength of faith belief
◦ Faith behavior
◦ Identity development
 Foreclosure, Moratorium, Achievement
◦ Personal Barriers

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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

Cindy Miller-Perrin:
Cindy.Perrin@pepperdine.edu
Don Thompson: thompson@pepperdine.edu