Thursday, January 29, 2004
College students more spiritual than courses reflect, study says
Most American college students are more interested in discussing spiritual matters than are their professors, preliminary results from a massive nationwide study suggest.
Late last year, researchers at the University of California at Los Angeles' Higher Education Research Institute released results from the third year of a four-year study. The study has tracked the spiritual activities and attitudes of 3,680 undergraduate students at 46 colleges and universities across the United States since they enrolled in the schools as freshmen in 2000.
The preliminary results show that, while more than two-thirds of the students "demonstrate a substantial level of religious engagement and commitment," only 8 percent of the students reported that their professors encouraged classroom discussion of spiritual matters. Well over half -- 62 percent -- of the students said their professors never encouraged such discussion.
Nonetheless, 39 percent of the students said their spiritual beliefs had been strengthened by "new ideas encountered in class." Only 9 percent of the students said their religious beliefs had been weakened by ideas encountered in class.
More than three-quarters of the students reported discussing religious or spiritual matters with their friends.
The students also showed a steep decline in attending religious services over the years since beginning college. In 2000, 52 percent of the students reported frequent attendance at religious services. By 2003, that percentage had declined to 29.
However, the percentages of students counting it an "essential" or "very important" goal to integrate spirituality into their lives, develop a meaningful philosophy of life, and serve others in need increased significantly during the same period.
In addition, the percentage of students who counted being financially comfortable as an "essential" or "very important" goal in life declined from 71 percent to 63 percent during the three-year period.
The survey is being funded by the John Templeton Foundation. It involves students from different types of colleges, including public, private and religious schools of varying size, prestige and selectivity in admissions.
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