Religion, spirituality, and identity : a study on the experience of graduate student identity development

The exploration of religious and spiritual identity in higher education is a critical and often misunderstood component of graduate preparation. The problem is whether spirituality or religion is provided equal academic consideration as other aspects of both a graduate students’ personal identity or their preparation to assist students with their own process of exploration. Prominent scholars have joined a collective dialogue, and studies of religion and spirituality are slowly gaining traction in the higher education landscape (see Astin, Astin, & Lindholm, 2011a & 2011b; Chickering, Dalton, & Auerbach, 2006; Dalton & Crosby, 2006). This increased attention to matters of spirituality and religion on college campuses has also identified gaps in the research: What are colleges and universities doing to prepare personnel, particularly student affairs professionals, to engage students on matters of religion and spirituality? Are aspiring professionals attaining a similar knowledge foundation of religious and spiritual identity development as they are of gender, race, ethnicity, or sexual orientation? This study focused primarily on the experiences and aspirations of second-year graduate students in elite Masters of Education programs with an emphasis on higher education or college student personnel services. The study was concerned with their religious or non-religious background, its relationship to the student-participant worldview, and their decision to enter the field. This was particularly important in comparison to participants’ perceived importance of other components of identity development (gender, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation) as perceptions will shape the work of these future practitioners.