| | THE STUDENT SURVEYS A pilot survey was completed in Spring 2003 by approximately 3,700 juniors at a representative sample of colleges and universities that participated in the Cooperative Institutional Research Program (CIRP) annual Survey of Entering Freshmen three years earlier. These longitudinal data provided preliminary information on how the college experience impacts students' spiritual life and development. (Download the 2003 CSBV Survey) A revised survey was administered to 112,000 entering freshmen at a nationally representative sample of 236 colleges and universities in Fall 2004. Findings from the survey were released in Spring 2005. (Download the 2004 CIRP/CSBV Survey) In Spring 2007, at the end of their junior year, we conducted a longitudinal follow-up survey of 15,000 students from the 2004 freshman cohort. Data from the follow-up survey will be released in Fall 2007. (Download the 2007 CSBV Survey) The study also includes a qualitative component designed to assess the spiritual life of college students in more depth by conducting individual and focus group interviews. The student surveys were designed to ensure that all students – regardless of their particular theological / metaphysical perspective or belief system – are able to respond in a meaningful way. Survey questions cover 11 broad areas:
- Spiritual outlook / orientation / worldview
- Spiritual well-being
- Religious / spiritual practices and behaviors
- Self-assessments of spirituality and related traits
- Spiritual quest
- Spiritual / mystical experiences
- Attitudes towards religion / spirituality
- Religious affiliation / identity
- Theological / metaphysical beliefs
- Facilitators / inhibitors of spiritual development
- Compassionate behavior
The following is a brief sample of the research questions guiding the project: -
How many students are actively searching and curious about spiritual issues and questions? What kinds of curricular and co-curricular experiences facilitate this spiritual quest? -
How do students view themselves in terms of spirituality and related qualities or virtues such as compassion, generosity, honesty, optimism, and humility? How is their academic and career development affected by such self-perceptions? -
What spiritual / religious practices and behaviors (e.g. rituals, prayer / meditation, service to others, etc.) are students most or least attracted to? How do such practices relate to other aspects of students' academic and personal development? -
What is the connection between traditional religious practice and spiritual development? -
What effect does religious doubt have on students' spiritual development? -
What most gets in the way of students' spiritual / religious quest (e.g. peer pressures, school pressures, work commitments, etc.)?
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