How students at a Christian university understand the university's faith committment

Author

Andrew J. Johnston, University of Tennessee

Date of Award

5-2002

Degree Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Education

Major

Educational Administration

Major Professor

Dr. E. Grady Bogue

Abstract

Faith commitment is central to the identity and mission of institutions identifying themselves specifically as Christian Universities. Therefore, their effectiveness in communicating that faith commitment to their students is essential to their success. This project explored how students at one such university gained their understanding of their university’s faith commitment. Its exploratory intent and deliberate focus on the student perspective merited an inductive approach and research methods reflecting a qualitative paradigm. Data were collected at one university using multiple student focus groups. Ultimately, this data shaped a valuable ”insider” perspective on how myriad encounters with university people, programs, and policies shaped students’ individual understanding of the university’s faith commitment. Focus group discussions proved rich and revealed students’ awareness of the university’s faith commitment, appreciation for its distinctiveness, and affirmation of its intentions to make this commitment apparent to campus constituents. Students consistently described the university’s faith commitment as both central to its identity and significant in their own decisions to enroll and persist. They proved attentive to its expression in diverse contexts and encounters.

Recommended Citation

Johnston, Andrew J., "How students at a Christian university understand the university's faith committment. " PhD diss., University of Tennessee, 2002.
https://trace.tennessee.edu/utk_graddiss/6355