Voices | Saint Louis University

The Role of Research in VOICES

How do members of the Saint Louis University community understand their faith and their professions? The research component of the VOICES Project provides a knowledge base that has helped and will continue to help establish answers to these important questions. The research effort will also enhance programs aimed at supporting the vocational exploration of students, faculty and staff. Data about university perceptions in the area of vocation will also provide support for the broad-based leadership required after the completion of the Grant.

Scope of the Research

In order to gain that necessary knowledge, the research includes the following:

Investigating the implications of vocation-related language

"Vocation," "ministry," "spirituality," "religion," and "church" are terms that are subject to different understandings and connotations across our faith traditions and across generations. The issue of lay and religious vocations to ministry and the larger issue of a faith-based vocation outside of ministry also require language clarification. Identifying the points at which we may be understanding these core ideas in fundamentally different ways makes for the most effective communication.

Understanding the transcendental beliefs and values of our student body

People tend to imprint the context of their own beliefs and experiences on programs. However, in order to have a transformational effect on students, the opportunity to explore vocation must operate within the contemporary context of the beliefs and values of our students. To this end our students' perceptions about the purpose of life, the meaning of faith, ways of expressing spiritual values, and the influence of religious traditions are part of the research.

Determining the current interest of the student body in vocation

The research explores the perceptions, attitudes, and opinions of students about issues related to faith-based vocations, ministry within the church, and the relationship of vocation to career, service and justice.

A goal of the research team during the coming year is to more fully integrate these aspects of research into the dimensions and methodologies set forth below.

Dimensions of the Research

There are three dimensions to the research component of the VOICES Project: Evaluative research that analyzes progress in reaching the goals and objectives of the Project through sponsoring programs; institutionalizing the goals and objectives of VOICES through such research-based sponsorship; and theory research that centers on the fundamental assumptions upon which the VOICES Project was developed. These three dimensions are predicated on the notion that practice affects theory and theory enhancement affects practice.

Research Methodologies

Both qualitative and quantitative methodologies are utilized in the research. The qualitative research is phenomenological in design in order to obtain, as much as possible, the spontaneous responses of the participants. The quantitative research is both descriptive and inferential in design. Data collection techniques are surveys, interviews, and focus groups. Both descriptive and inferential statistical analyses are applied to quantitative data. Of course, a continual review of related literature is being undertaken and has produced a research paper on the evolving concept of vocation.

The participants in the research are University faculty, staff, undergraduate students, graduate students, and professional students. Standard methods of sampling have been applied to the populations.

When appropriate, data collected by the University are utilized along with data generated by the VOICES Project in order to make decisions about the effectiveness of the Project goals and objectives.

The Research Team