Wilson, Dean Edward. (dissertation) The Influence of Short-Term
Background:
9 day mission trips, run through United Methodist Volunteer in
"Faith Maturity" from Benson and Donahue's Faith Maturity Scale: "the degree to which a person embodies the priorities, commitments, and perspectives characteristic of vibrant and life-transforming faith, as these have been understood in 'mainline' Protestant traditions."
Main Questions:
1. To what extent is there a change in person's faith maturity
2. what elements of trip perceived as contributing to this
3. how does degree of change in faith correlate with learning style preferences
4. How do contributions of aspects of VIM experience correlate with learning style
Methodology:
Data collected before STM, on the way home, and 45 days later; identified learning styles, aspects of experience that influenced faith maturity, and faith maturity before and after experience.
Subjects' learning style determined ahead of time using Kolb Learning Style Inventory. Also, everyone took Faith Maturity Scale (author added 3 questions of own). Pre-test and second post-test identical.
Administered to VIM teams from
Data collection packets given to team leaders, they administered all three surveys. 27 individuals filled out these surveys.
Six Changes of Significance:
Scan. p. 57 (on a 1-7 scale w/ 1 never, 7 always true)
Defs of learning styles: accommodator (n=8): experience concretely, process actively
assimilator (n=4): perceive experience abstractly, process
reflectively)
converger (n=5): experience abstractly, process actively (try
things out for selves)
diverger (n=10): experience concretely, process reflectively
Divergers changed most.
p. 61 in this study people with previous STM experience were ones who registered more change.
p. 74 males slightly more likely to evidence change in faith maturity. However, no indication that gender directly related to this.
p. 74 convergers more likely to experience change in area of "experiences and nurtures faith in the community" area; accommodators highest in "integrates faith and life" area; Interesting that both these types of learning more hands-on.
