Living Out Faith

172 Pages·2016·1.46 MB·English

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.
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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
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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
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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
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