<p> Higher education has taken pride in the holistic development of students. However, research has shown that there is a void or lack in addressing students&rsquo; holistic development; more specifically, the lack or void is in addressing the spiritual development of students (Love &amp; Talbot, 1999; Stewart, Kocet, &amp; Lobdell, 2011). There remains little research on programs that directly and explicitly focus on spiritual development, especially in public institutions of higher education. It is important to study such programs to understand their components and implications as possible models and best practices for addressing spirituality in higher education. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore how a four-year, public institution of higher education addresses students&rsquo; spirituality through the use of an interfaith center, reflection room, and student organizations focused on religion, faith, and spirituality.</p><p> A multi-case study methodology design was used to implement this research study. There were three cases being studied &ndash; an interfaith center, a reflection room, and student organizations focused on religion, faith, and/or spirituality. Each case involved interviews with student users, interviews with staff, and a review of documents. Based on the theoretical framework and research questions, data accumulated from the data collection process were analyzed for emerging and convergent themes that relate to how these spiritually-related services impact students&rsquo; development.</p><p> Research findings concluded that these spiritually-related services do address various measures of spirituality in students. However, there are areas in which spiritually-related services could improve to address more measures of spirituality. Additionally, there are some negative factors that need to be addressed to improve the efficacy of existing services. Some of these factors include visibility of the services provided and more specific training for staff. Recommendations for policy, practice, and future research are presented as ways for public institutions of higher education to implement and address spirituality among their students.</p>

<p> This qualitative research study explored student affairs administrators&rsquo; spirituality and leadership. In light of recent research into the spiritual lives of students and faculty in higher education, this study sought to explore if student affairs administrators could articulate any connection between spirituality and their leadership, as well as how they view and support the spiritual concerns of their students. By interviewing 8 participants, 4 themes emerged, (a) I know who I am, (b) different paths to leadership, (c) working with others, and (d) supporting student spiritual concerns. These 4 themes demonstrate how student affairs administrators articulate their spirituality, how that spirituality influences their leadership, and how they support the spiritual concerns of their students. This study adds to the research on spirituality in higher education, and offers recommendations for further exploration into the spirituality of student affairs administrators.</p>

<p> This study explored and sought to understand the factors that lead to students&rsquo; spiritual development at a secular institution. I focused on examining the perceptions of the students in determining the factors that facilitated individual spiritual growth. The rationale behind conducting this research was that colleges and universities desire for students to have a transformative and holistic experience. Knowing the factors that facilitate growth might enable university officials to intentionally create environments that stimulate growth for all students. Using a qualitative research design, I utilized methods for establishing a grounded theory because I sought to explain how students use their social, spiritual, and emotional experiences to impact their spiritual development. I interviewed 18 upper-division, Christian students of two regional secular state-assisted universities. All interviewed students were involved with local chapters of the nationally established parachurch college student organization. The data displayed a distinct difference between the first year of a student&rsquo;s academic career and subsequent years. The students detailed the first year being a time of confusion and turmoil while the upper-division years were calmer for them a period in which context is important during a time of disruption. Choices consisted of the themes of involvement and authenticity, or aligning behaviors, because of opportunities for reflection. Finally, the change category provided rich data about triggers or internal dialogue that followed from students&rsquo; experiences with disruptions to their routine thinking. Relationships, mentoring, or reading created disruptions in routine thinking. The data suggested that for students to experience growth in their spiritual identity, they must undergo a trigger that disrupts their normal thinking patterns. The reflective disruption model emerged from the vertical structure that was built from the bottom to the top with the themes of context, choice, and change. The four areas comprising the matrix&rsquo;s four concept horizontal matrix are relationships, authenticity, involvement, and spiritual actions. The reflective disruption model provides a foundation upon which future research may be built.</p>

<p> By integrating spiritual development theories with Sanford's theory of challenge and support and study findings, this mixed methods study examines how spiritual development may be occurring through service-learning. The relationship between service-learning participation and spiritual growth is analyzed by addressing the following research questions: 1) Does spiritual growth occur among undergraduates participating in service-learning? 2) Which aspects of the service-learning experience relate to the occurrence of spiritual growth? 3) What role do "challenge" and "support" play in the process of spiritual growth? </p><p> The 272 study participants are drawn from the Boston College PULSE Program, a service-learning program that requires 10-12 hours of weekly service for the full academic year while students simultaneously take an interdisciplinary philosophy and theology course entitled, Person and Social Responsibility. The quantitative strand of this study sought to objectively understand the components of the PULSE program that may relate to spiritual development among undergraduates through a pre-test/post-test survey adapted from the College Student Beliefs and Values instrument created by Astin, Astin, &amp; Lindholm (2011). The qualitative strand consisted of semi-structured, one-on-one interviews with eleven study participants whose quantitative survey results demonstrated particularly high or low levels of spiritual change. </p><p> Study findings indicate that nearly 80% of study participants grew spiritually during the service-learning experience. Consistent with Sanford's (1962, 1966,1967) theory of college student development and the spiritual development theories of Fowler (1981) and Daloz Parks (2000), spiritual growth was most likely to occur when students experienced significant challenge balanced with support. Qualitative and quantitative results found that challenge was related to the eye opening experience of witnessing injustice at service sites while simultaneously being exposed to diverse perspectives through course assignments and discussions. This eye opening experience led students to struggle spiritually as they questioned prior assumptions and beliefs. Support was found in relationships and effective integration of course content with the service experience.</p>

<p> The present study examined the impact of student involvement, attachment anxiety, attachment avoidant, and spiritual well-being on grade point average, self-esteem, and life satisfaction of college students at a large public university. Two hundred and sixteen students, over the age of eighteen, completed the anonymous online survey. Consistent with previous research, the current study found that spiritual well-being was a significant predictor of student self-esteem and life satisfaction, but was not a significant predictor of grade point average (GPA). Results indicated that attachment anxiety was a significant predictor of self-esteem and life-satisfaction; however, attachment avoidance was not found to be a significant predictor of GPA, self-esteem, or life satisfaction. While student involvement was not a significant predictor, significant differences were found between students who identified as a member of a fraternity and sorority and those who were not. In addition, correlations were found between self-esteem and life satisfaction. The current findings suggest that spiritual well-being and attachment style play an integral role in the development of self-esteem and life satisfaction in college students.</p>

<p> College is often considered a time when students grapple with life questions and identity development. Astin, Astin, and Lindholm (2011) define the process of identity development and the search for meaning and purpose as college student spirituality. Research reveals that 80% of college students are seeking purpose and meaning in their lives (Astin et al., 2011; Clydesdale, 2015). One opportunity for students to explore their purpose and define their values is through co-curricular activities, such as leadership development programs (Astin et al., 2011). </p><p> The purpose of this mixed methods study was to investigate and explore the relationship between spirituality and leadership development in undergraduate college students who participated in a regional leadership development program. The following research questions guided this study: </p><p> 1. Is there a relationship between spiritual quest and equanimity and dimensions of social change leadership for students participating in a leadership development program? (QN) </p><p> 2. To what extent is variation in both spirituality measures and social change leadership measures related to gender, class year, institution type, and institutional religious affiliation? (QN) </p><p> 3. How do students participating in a leadership development program describe spirituality and leadership? (QL) Phase I data collection surveyed (<i>N</i>=54) undergraduate students in a leadership development program. Multiple concurrent qualitative phases included Phase I students in dyadic and individual interviews (<i>N</i>=5), key informant interviews with staff members who advise leadership programs (<i>N</i>=2), and reflective student questionnaires (<i>N</i>=4). </p><p> Quantitative analysis yielded a significant positive relationship between various measures of leadership and spirituality. Neither gender, class year, institution type, nor institutional religious affiliation had a significant impact on students&rsquo; leadership or spirituality. Three primary concepts emerged from the qualitative findings: 1) leadership, 2) spirituality, and 3) relationship between leadership and spirituality, supported by detailed sub-concepts. Results of the connected findings between data sources suggested that students participating in a leadership development program identify a positive relationship between leadership and spirituality and seek opportunities to develop both. </p><p> The benefit of this study may be to assist student affairs practitioners in developing an understanding of the role of spirituality in leadership development and in implementing leadership programs that incorporate spirituality.</p><p>

<p> <i><b>Objective:</b></i> Intimacy is an essential part of marital relationships, spiritual relationships, and is also a factor in well-being. There is little research simultaneously examining the links among spiritual intimacy (defined as positive religious coping and a relationship with God), relational intimacy, and well-being. Data from the Adventist Health Study-2&rsquo;s Biopsychosocial Religion and Health Study (AHS-2 BRHS) were analyzed to first examine these links, and then to examine whether religious variables predict positive and negative perceptions of one&rsquo;s spouse.</p><p> <i><b>Design:</b></i> Structural equation modeling was used to examine associations among spiritual intimacy, relational intimacy, spiritual meaning, and well-being in a cross-sectional study of 5,720 married adults aged 29-100 years. Also, positive and negative spouse characteristics were regressed on control variables and 16 religious variables. This sample included 6,683 married adults aged 29-100 years.</p><p> <i><b>Results:</b></i> In the original structural model all direct associations between spiritual intimacy, relational intimacy, and well-being were significant and positive. With spiritual meaning as a mediating variable, the direct connections of spiritual intimacy to relational intimacy and to well-being became weakly negative. However, the indirect associations of spiritual intimacy with well-being were strongly positive through spiritual meaning. </p><p> Positive spouse characteristics were most strongly related to higher gratitude and lower negative religious coping; and negative spouse characteristics to greater negative religious coping and less gratitude. The higher participants rated their spouse&rsquo;s religiosity the better they rated their spouse. Conversely, the higher participants rated their own religiosity the worse they rated their spouse. For some religion variables there were gender and ethnic differences in prediction of spouse characteristics.</p><p> <i><b>Conclusion:</b></i> These findings suggest the central place of spiritual meaning in understanding the relationship of spiritual intimacy with marital intimacy and to well-being. They also suggest that individual religious variables have a strong association with how one views one&rsquo;s spouse, and thus need to be considered as important factors in relational intimacy. They also affirm the interplay of spiritual intimacy with relational intimacy and the need to consider both gender and ethnicity as contributing factors.</p>

Thesis (D. Min.)--Dallas Theological Seminary, 2001. / Includes abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 118-123).

Thesis (D. Min.)--Dallas Theological Seminary, 2001. / Includes abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 118-123).

The purpose of this study was to bring more clarification to the concepts of spirituality and happiness, their meaning, attainability, and position in the field of Multicultural Education. In general, people think they will find joy and happiness if they graduate from a post-secondary educational institution with an undergraduate or graduate degree, find a good work environment, position, salary, living standards, status, etc. Yet, in the real world there may be a different way to find genuine happiness and joy which is fair, simple, easy and equal for all human beings even those who cannot afford higher levels of education. In order to present the data, the study discussed the life, philosophy and teachings of Imam Sheikh Iskender Ali Mihr, president of Mihr Foundation in Turkey, International Mihr Foundation in the United States and University of Allah in Virginia, and utterly an Ottoman. The review of literature was also included to assist the readers to grasp the different perspectives of the subject matter. Education should be inclusive and equal for all and so should joy and happiness! In today's world where diversity is the key factor for almost every community, it is important for educators (teachers/instructors/administrators) to know what shapes students' lives. This study encompassed the idea that only educating our students' minds and bodies is not enough, and without spirituality the education is not complete. As Pamela Leigh (1997) stated, "...acknowledging that people come to work with more than their bodies and minds, they bring individual talents and unique spirits" (p. 26). Students also come with their unique spirits and we should take them as a whole and value them with all the qualities they possess. Nurturing their spirit should be part of our school system. No matter if they believe in God or not, educators should be ready to address the aspect of spirituality and religion. The research was to bring a greater understanding to questions such as how we can better accommodate students' different spiritual beliefs, what the pros and cons are of bringing them together or keeping them separate. In order to answer these questions in a fashionable manner, we need to know "how much the spiritual beliefs of these students shape their cultures and their lives." In a greater context, the questions like; what we really know about 'true' Islam as one of the fastest growing beliefs in the U.S., is it any different than other beliefs or is it the same, is there a way to eradicate the Islam-phobia that occurred after the 9/11 attack, what was the Ottoman Islamic model, were also answered. As educators, how do we cope with students who hear voices and start shooting around in a schoolyard, or students who binge drink or get suicidal? Even more importantly, how do we help the remaining population live a healthy and happy life without thinking of ending their own or others' lives, as these examples turn out to be a daily life for us all! The remainder of this study looked at the "neutrality" of the school systems in the United States. Should educators stay neutral or not will be each individual's decision to make.