Ronald MillerWilliam NealClayton HubnerAmber HanzaKelsey OldsKeitaro YoshidaKin Yu AuYan Yan Ho

Performance correlates of spiritual expression and spiritual development

BYU-Hawaii

Mission to serve Asia and the Pacific

A highly multi-cultural environment

48% are international students

International students are from all educational and economical background

Participation in NSSE since 2002

National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE)

“The National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) is designed to obtain, on an annual basis, information from scores of colleges and universities nationwide about student participation in programs and activities that institutions provide for their learning and personal development.”

-National Survey of Student Engagement

BYU-H Spirituality BYU-H Spirituality 04-05 NSSE Scores

Comparison with scores of Bac-Gen (Baccalaureate–General)

Students in undergraduate programs National

Students in both undergraduate and postgraduate programs

Benchmark Comparisons

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2004 2005

BYU-HBac-GenNSSE

Both first-year and Senior BYU-Hawaii students ranked generally higher on levels of spirituality than comparable institutions and the national average in both 2004 and 2005.

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First-Year Students Senior Students

Past studies Spirituality...can create a campus environments that supports and enhances

the sense of wholeness, connection, and community for students, faculty and staff. (Rogers & Dantley, 2001)

“The graduates of the nation’s religious colleges are quite distinctive from their secular counterparts…They study hard, leaving little time for sitting in or walking out.” (Riley, 2003)

The study done by Hugo (2000) showed that spiritual well being (ß = .54) and hardiness (ß = 1.38) are strong predictors of self-esteem (P<.01).

Higher Education Research Institute at UCLA examined the spiritual development of undergraduate students during their college career. “They (Mormon students) received the highest scores of all groups on five of the 12 measures: Religious Commitment, Religious Engagement, Religious/Social Conservatism, Spirituality, and Equanimity.” (Astin, A. W., Astin, H. S., Lindholm, Bryant, Calderone, & Szelenyi, 2003)

Research Questions

Do BYU-H students arrive on campus being spiritual or do they become more spiritual during their college experience?

How does spirituality affect students’ performance?

What are the effect moderators (co-variates)?

HypothesesHypothesis 1 Senior students score higher on deepened sense of spirituality than do

First-Year students because BYU-Hawaii students reported a higher sense of spirituality than do students from comparable institutions and the NSSE national average. If students consider the institution a major contributor to their spiritual development, the institutional environment should be more spiritual as a whole. Thus, the highly spiritual environment should influence students’ spirituality over time.

Hypothesis 2 Regardless of the degree of spirituality at the time of students’ first arrival

on campus, all students will show an increase in spiritual development as the institution’s environment is highly spiritual.

Hypothesis 3 Higher spirituality correlates with positive academic outcomes and has a

positive influence on student life because spirituality seems to contribute to the welfare of student in general as shown in the past literature on spirituality.

Participants

Brigham Young University-Hawaii students

410 First-Year students

247 Senior students

NSSE Spirituality items Analyze 2004-2005 National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE)

data.

The NSSE Spirituality items were as follows:

1. During the current school year, about how often have you done each of the following? Students were asked to rate how often they participated in

activities to enhance their spirituality. 1-Never, 2-Sometimes, 3-Often, 4-Very Often

2. To what extent has your experience at this institution contributed to your knowledge, skills, and personal development in the following areas? Developing a deepened sense of spirituality

1-Very little, 2-Some, 3-Quite a bit, 4-Very much

Research Question and HypothesisResearch Question Do BYU-H students arrive on campus being spiritual or do they become

more spiritual during their college experience?

Hypothesis 1 Senior students score higher on deepened sense of spirituality than do

First-Year students because BYU-Hawaii students reported a higher sense of spirituality than do students from comparable institutions and the NSSE national average. If more students consider that the institution contributes to their spiritual development compared to student at other institutions, the environment at the institution should be more spiritual as a whole than other institutions. Thus, the highly spiritual environment should influence students’ spirituality over time.

Analysis

T-test on developed deepened sense of spirituality Between First-Year and Senior students

T-test on attending worship services Between First-Year and Senior students

The difference between First-Year and Senior Students in spirituality

3

3.1

3.2

3.3

3.4

Spirituality

First-YearSenior

*Significant at .01 level.

Students were asked to rate to what extent their experience at this institution has contributed to their knowledge, skills, and personal development in the following area:

Developing a deepened sense of spirituality1-Very little, 2-Some, 3-Quite a bit, 4-Very much

*

It was found that Seniors rated themselves significantly higher than First-Year students in terms of developing a deepened sense of spirituality.

3

3.1

3.2

3.3

3.4

3.5

3.6

3.7

Worship

First-YearSenior

Senior students report significantly more frequent participation in worship services than do First-Year students.

Students were asked about how often they have done each of the following during the current school year.

Participated in activities to enhance your spirituality (worship, meditation, prayer, etc.)

1=Never, 2=Sometimes, 3=Often, 4=Very often

*Significant at .01 level.

*

The difference between First-Year and Senior Students in spirituality (cont.)

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BYU-H Bac-Gen NSSE

First-YearSenior

In comparing First-Year to Senior year in both 2004 and 2005, student’s ratings on their sense of spirituality increases at BYU-Hawaii. In contrast, ratings from comparable institutions and the NSSE average show a decrease in terms of their sense of spirituality.

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2004 2005

The difference between First-Year and Senior Students in spirituality (cont.)

Discussion on the difference between First-Year and Senior Students in spirituality T-test results show that Senior students have a higher sense of

spirituality than do First-Year students. This suggests that students improve over time in terms of spirituality.

A comparison with the national average shows that students come to BYU-H with a high level of spirituality. However, students at BYU-H develop an even higher level of spirituality over time while students at comparable institutions in general show a slight decrease from their First-Year to Senior year.

Discussion on the difference between First-Year and Senior Students in spirituality (cont.) This implies that a highly spiritual campus environment

does influence the development of spirituality of students at the institution.

“This is like a greenhouse kind of place; it is protected. Worldly things do not affect us in ways that do other schools. If students spend four years here and they are in an environment where spiritual growth is encouraged, supported and facilitated, [there is a] strong social support [for spiritual growth] .”

-2006 Focus Group Member

Research Question and HypothesisResearch Question Do BYU-H students arrive on campus being

spiritual or do they become more spiritual during their college experience?

Hypothesis 2 Regardless of the degree of spirituality at the time

of students’ first arrival on campus, all students will show an increase in spiritual development if the institution’s environment is highly spiritual.

Analysis

Two-way ANOVA

On the differences between Ethnicity

Class rank

Interaction between ethnicity and class rank

In terms of deepened sense of spirituality

The difference between Ethnicity and Class Rank in Spirituality

2.7

2.9

3.1

3.3

3.5

Caucasian/ NonHispanic

Pacific Islander Asian/ Oriental

First-Year

Senior

Although First-Year Asian students scored significantly lower than all the other groups of students in terms of deepened sense of spirituality, Senior Asian students show as high a level of deepened sense of spirituality as Caucasian and Pacific Islander Senior students.

* Significant at .01 level.

*

Discussion on the difference between ethnicity and class rank in spirituality ANOVA results show that

First-Year Asian students scored significantly lower than Senior Asian, both First-year and Senior Caucasian and Pacific Islander students.

Senior Asian students rank as high as Caucasian and Pacific Islander students in terms of the deepened sense of spirituality

Caucasian and Pacific Islander Senior students report no significant increase in the deepened sense of spirituality compared to their First-year students

These results do not support our hypothesis because only students with relatively low sense of spirituality at the time of their arrival show significant increase in their sense of spirituality

However, these results suggest that a highly spiritual campus environment does influence students, especially those who enter the university with a relatively low sense of spirituality

“It seems you cannot escape spiritual growth here.”

-2006 Focus Group Member

Research Question and HypothesisResearch Question How does spirituality affect students’ performance? What are the effect moderators (co-variates)?

Hypothesis 3 Higher spirituality correlates with positive academic

outcomes and positive influence in students’ life because spirituality seems to contribute to the welfare of student in general as shown in the past literature on spirituality.

Analysis on Hypothesis 3

Part I: Spirituality and academic outcomes

Part II: Spirituality and student life

Part III: Implication of spirituality on students’ life• Relationship with others• Personal growth

Analysis on Hypothesis 3 (cont.) Correlation

Between deepened sense of spirituality/attending worship service, and coming to class prepared

Between deepened sense of spirituality/attending worship service and GPA

Part I: Spirituality and academic outcomes

Results on the Correlation between spirituality and academic outcomes Correlation

Coming to class prepared With spirituality

r = .0, p > .10 With worship

r = .19, p > .10

GPA With spirituality

r = -.005, p > .10 With worship

r = .14, p < .01

Discussion on correlation between spirituality and academic outcomes

Although the major religion at the institution emphasizes preparation and diligence, higher sense of spirituality did not correlate with preparedness nor better academic outcomes.

The following analyses on spirituality and students’ life helps answer why spirituality does not correlate with better academic outcomes.

Analysis on Hypothesis 3

Correlation Between spirituality/attending worship service

and extracurricular activities

Participation in physical activities

Attendance to art exhibits etc.

Giving tutoring to other students

Volunteering

Part II: Spirituality and Students’ Life

Results on Correlation between Spirituality and Extracurricular activities Participation in physical activities

With Spirituality : r = .10, p < .01 With worship service : r = .31, p < .01

Attendance to art exhibits etc. With Spirituality : r = .17, p < .01 With worship service : r = .28, p < .01

Giving tutoring to other students With Spirituality : r = .17, p < .05 With worship service : r = .10, p < .05

Volunteering With Spirituality : r = .22, p < .01 With worship service : r = .33, p < .01

Discussion on Correlation between Spirituality and Extracurricular Activities All of these extracurricular activities are correlated

with spirituality items.

This may imply that those students who have a higher sense of spirituality also have a sense of balanced work. They do not focus merely on academic studies.

This may be one of the reasons why higher spirituality does not correlate with better academic outcomes.

Analysis on Hypothesis 3

Correlation Between deepened sense of spirituality/attending worship

service and relationship with: Other students

Faculty

Administrative Personnel and Officers

Part III: Implication of spirituality on students’ lifeRelationships with others

Correlation Deepened sense of spirituality with:

Relationship with Other students r = .36, p < .01

Relationship with Faculty r = .41, p < .01

Relationship with Administrative Personnel and Officers r = .35, p < .01

Results on Correlation between Spirituality and Relationship with Others

It was found that a deepened sense of spirituality significantly correlated with relationships with other students, with faculty members, and administrative personnel and officers

This result suggests that spirituality in general contributes to the development of better relationships with other people

Discussion on Correlation between Spirituality and Relationship with Others

Analysis on Hypothesis 3

Correlation Between spirituality/attending worship service and

outcomes on personal growth

Students were asked to what extent has their experience at the institution contributed to their knowledge, skills, and personal development in the following areas:

Understanding yourself Acquiring a broad general education Acquiring job or work-related knowledge and skills Developing a personal code of values and ethics Contributing to the welfare of your community If you could start over again, would you go to the same

institution you are now attending?

Part III: Implication of spirituality on students’ lifePersonal Growth

Correlation Between spirituality/attending worship service and :

Understanding yourself With spirituality : r = .40, p < .01 With worship : r = .21, p < .01

Acquiring a broad general education With spirituality : r = .46, p < .01 With worship : r = .26, p < .05

Acquiring job or work-related knowledge and skills With spirituality : r = .25, p < .01 With worship : r = .28, p < .01

Developing a personal code of values and ethics With spirituality : r = .54, p < .01 With worship : r = .30, p < .01

Contributing to the welfare of your community With spirituality : r = .38, p < .01 With worship : r = .28, p < .01

If you could start over again, would you go to the same institution you are now attending? With spirituality : r = .40, p < .01 With worship : r = .40, p < .01

Results on Correlation between Spirituality and Personal Growth

All of these personal development items are correlated with spirituality. Therefore, students with higher spirituality tend to acquire more knowledge, skills, and increase in personal development

In addition, they are more satisfied with their educational experience at their institution than do other students

“I think BYU-Hawaii’s spiritual environment really makes a difference in my education, career and personal goals, because before I came here I thought I would be satisfied with a bachelor’s degree, but now I want to continue. I want to go to graduate school…”

-2006 Focus Group Response

Discussion on Correlation between Spirituality and Personal Growth

Result : Asian students reported significant increase in spirituality from First-

year to Senior year while Caucasians and Pacific Islanders did not.

Result : Spirituality correlates with student life outcomes.

Question:

Did Asian students report significant increase in student life outcome variables? What about Caucasians and Pacific Islanders?

Additional Analysis

The Differences between First-Year and Senior Asian Students in Personal Growth

2.8

2.9

3

3.1

3.2

3.3

3.4

Understanding yourself

First-YearSenior

*Significant at .01 level.

It was found that Senior Asian students rated themselves significantly higher than First-Year Asian students in both areas.

2.8

2.9

3

3.1

3.2

3.3

3.4

Acquiring a broad general education

*

Acquiring a broad general education1=Very much, 2=Quite a bit, 3=Some, 4=Very little

Understanding yourself1=Very much, 2=Quite a bit, 3=Some, 4=Very little

*

2.8

2.9

3

3.1

3.2

3.3

3.4

Acquiring job or work-relatedknowledge and skills

First-YearSenior

*Significant at .05 level.

*

It was found that Senior Asian students rated themselves significantly higher than First-Year Asian students in both areas.

Acquiring job or work-related knowledge and skills4=Very much, 3=Quite a bit, 2=Some, 1=Very little

Developing a personal code of values and ethics4=Very much, 3=Quite a bit, 2=Some, 1=Very little

2.8

2.9

3

3.1

3.2

3.3

3.4

Developing a personal code ofvalues and ethics

*

The Differences between First-Year and Senior Asian Students in Personal Growth (cont.)

2.8

2.9

3

3.1

3.2

3.3

3.4

Contributing to the welfare ofyour community

First-YearSenior

*Significant at .01 level.

*

It was found that Senior Asian students rated themselves significantly higher than First-Year Asian students.

Contributing to the welfare of your community4=Very much, 3=Quite a bit, 2=Some, 1=Very little 4=Definitely yes, 3=Probably yes, 2=Probably no, 1=Definitely no

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3.1

3.2

3.3

3.4

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3.6

Same institution

*

If you could start over again, would you go to the same institution you are now attending?

Difference between First-Year and Senior Asian Students in Personal Growth (cont.)

Discussion on the difference in personal growth The t-test shows that Senior Asian students report significant

increases compared to First-year Asian students in the following areas:

Understanding yourself Acquiring a broad general education Acquiring job or work-related knowledge and skills Developing a personal code of values and ethics Contributing to the welfare of your community If you could start over again, would you go to the same institution

you are now attending?

However, when we ran the same t-tests on the difference between First-year and Senior students for both Caucasians and Pacific Islanders, there was no significant increase in these areas as their sense of spirituality does not increase over the same period.

Therefore, the increase in spirituality does contribute to the increase in student life outcomes.

Discussion on the difference in personal growth (cont.) Based on these correlation and t-test results, we conclude that

spirituality helps students enrich their educational experience personal life experience and consequently better prepare them for life beyond university studies

“ [My experience here at BYU-Hawaii], particularly in how people treat custodians has taught me how to treat my future employees, to have equality and to not look down on others.”

-2006 Focus Group Member

Conclusions Student at this institution generally have high spirituality and improve even

more over time in terms of spirituality. A highly spiritual environment at a institution does influence not only

students who have come with high spirituality, but also students who have come with relatively low spirituality.

Spirituality in general, contributes to the development of better relationships with other people.

Although higher spirituality does not contribute to better academic outcomes, those students with higher sense of spirituality seem to have a sense of balanced work.

Higher spirituality helps students enrich their overall educational experience and personal development.

The increase in spirituality does contribute to the increase in student life outcomes.

These positive results show that spirituality in general helps students increase their learning ability, enrich their personal development, and consequently prepare them to go into the world better prepared.