DePaul University Via Sapientiae College of Education Theses and Dissertations College of Education Spring 3-24-2016 Living Out Faith: Refections on Motivation for Academic Achievement and Career Choice Felicia D. Richardson-McGee DePaul University, DePaul University College of Education LIVING OUT FAITH: REFLECTIONS on MOTIVATION for ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT and CAREER CHOICE A Dissertation in Educational Leadership by Felicia Richardson-McGee © 2016 Felicia Richardson-McGee Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Education March 2016 ABSTRACT It has often been said that conversations concerning religion, sex and politics should be avoided in most, if not all social settings. In general, it was believed that discussions on these topics could lead to very heated and argumentative debates as the participants openly expressed their views on these subjects. Increasingly, however, religion has become a popular discussion topic in many areas, such as politics, health and medicine, and even the business world. This is likely because religion, for many, is an important part of daily life. It shapes how individuals see themselves and others in the world and may even help to guide life decisions. Because of its importance in many people’s lives, religion and faith and spirituality (which are often used interchangeably with religion), deserves further investigation. This study attempted to explore the relationship between faith and education as well as examined the possibility that one’s faith may influence academic achievement and career choice. The research questions that guided this research were: 1. How is faith defined by individuals whose religious beliefs and practices differ across religious denominations? 2. How does ones’ conception of faith influence academic and career aspirations and/or choices? This study utilized the research method of narrative inquiry and using three semi- structured interviews with participants from five different religious denominations namely, Buddhist, Christian, Hindu (Jain), Jewish and Muslim. The research results were examined through two lenses: Self-Determination Theory and The Theory of the “U”. The four themes that emerged were Faith within the Family; Faith Choice; Faith with Academics and Career Choice; and Faith in Service to Others. iii Table of Contents List of Tables ……..………………………………………………………………….. v Acknowledgements ………………………………………………………………….. vi Dedications …………………………………………………………………………… vii 1. INTRODUCTION ……………………………………………………………….. 1 2. POSITIONALITY ……………………………………………………………….. 7 3. LITERATURE REVIEW ……………………………………………………….. 15 Basic Concepts: Religion, Faith and Spirituality ……………………..... 15 Progressive Period: History of Educators ……………………………… 20 Influences on Academic and Career Progression ……………………… 28 Motivational Theories Past and Present ………………………………... 41 Faith Development and Career Choice ……………………………….... 55 Summary ………………………………………………………………..... 59 4. METHODOLOGY ………………………………………………………………. 62 Site and Participant Selection ………………………………………….... 63 Data Collection …………………………………………………………… 67 Ethical Considerations …………………………………………………... 69 Data Analysis …………………………………………………………….. 71 5. ABOUT THE PARTICIPANTS ………………………………………………... 75 Dechen ……………………………………………………………………. 75 Naomi ……………………………………………………………………... 79 Chandan Bala ……………………………………………………………. 83 Michael …………………………………………………………………… 88 Willie ……………………………………………………………………… 93 Table 5.1: About the Participants ………………………………………. 97 6. RESEARCH THEMES and ANALYSIS ……………………………………… 98 Faith within the Family ………………………………………………….. 98 Faith Choice ……………………………………………………………… 110 Faith in Academics and Careers ………………………………………... 121 Faith in Service to Others ……………………………………………….. 132 Summary …………………………………………………………………. 147 7. CONCLUSION …………………………………………………………………... 148 Limitations ……………………………………………………………….. 149 Future Research …………………………………………………………. 153 Final Thoughts ………………………………………………………….... 155 APPENDIX A: IRB Approval Letter ………………………………………………. 158 APPENDIX B: Interview Guide ……………………………………………………. 160 APPENDIX C: Diagram - Theory of the “U” ……………………………………… 161 REFERENCES ……………………………………………………………………….. 162 iv List of Tables 1. Table 5.1: About the Participants 97 v Acknowledgements I would like to acknowledge Dr. Ronald Chennault, Dr. Karen Monkman, and Mr.William Hoecker, my Dissertation Committee for their patience, encouragement and guidance through this educational endeavor. It was very much appreciated! vi Dedications To God be the Glory for the completion of my dissertation! To my father Samuel: May he now rest in Heaven! Thank you dad for introducing me to God and showing me how to live by faith. To my mother Willie: Who never let me forget that I said that I would pursue a Doctorate degree. To my family Rickey, Noelle and Nicole: For whom I hope to have set the bar for living your lives to Christ as much as is humanly possible. To my siblings and friends: For the unwavering support, love and inspiration that you gave me to reach this educational goal. Thank you so much! vii 1 Introduction Matthew 17:20 …If you have faith as small As a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, “Move from here to there” and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you. It has often been said that conversations concerning religion, sex and politics should be avoided in most, if not all social settings. In general, it was believed that discussions on these topics could lead to very heated and argumentative debates as the participants openly expressed their views on these subjects. Religion, in particular, surfaced during political campaigns, as politicians debated about family values and moral character. It has also become a topic of interest in the health care industry, as medical professionals debate whether religious belief may positively influence the healing process for many of their patients (Glazer, 2005, p.1). Even in the business world, amid competition and aggressive pursuits of high level positions, professionals and entrepreneurs it seems, are integrating faith experiences into their decisions regarding career choices (Hansen, 2002). Business professionals want to ensure that their quest for meaning and purpose in life are satisfied through the ultimate career choice; the job that promises to fulfill their inner passions and life ambitions (Trelfa, 2004 and 2005). As I pondered all the disciplines where religion is now an acceptable discussion topic, I wondered whether religion had been seriously considered in research studies in education. And, as I considered the many diverse religious denominations that exist in the world today, and the diverse cultures of people around the world who have dedicated their lives to religious worship, I began to wonder why there was so little research on this topic. Religion, for many, is an 1 important part of daily life. It shapes how individuals see themselves and others in the world. Some may even believe that faithful practice of religion can help to guide life decisions as well as our faith choices. Often, acknowledgement of our faith can be important to defining who we are as individuals and what we believe our purpose and life meaning may be. My quest to understand how our religious choice may influence the development of faith began with the work of James Fowler (1981). Fowler’s work essentially laid the foundation for faith development research in the early 1980’s, and has provided an opportunity to learn how he believed faith matures as we age. He described each developmental stage in great detail, so that the reader could logically comprehend the changes in behavior as faith developed from infancy into adulthood. Fowler’s model and research technique did spark harsh criticism from other researchers, namely Streib (2001) and McDargh (2001). These researchers believed that Fowler’s sequential and psychoanalytic model style failed to consider the life history and experiences of his sole participant, Mary, which Streib and McDargh believed was critical to any analysis of faith development. Further criticisms arose as it was determined that Fowler’s model purposely omitted religion as a component of faith development, because he believed that religion and faith development were not always dependent upon one another. After learning about Fowler’s research, it seemed fitting that an opportunity existed to consider, or to attempt to understand, how researchers have analyzed various constructions of religion, as well as how they have interpreted its use in day-to-day life experiences. It is important to search the literature for an understanding of how researchers discussed terms such as religiosity, faith, and spirituality. Even though these terms are often used interchangeably, the literature indicates that there may be some differences between terms that must also be considered. Religiosity, for some researchers, can often be described in terms of religious 2