I teach in the MS in College Student Development, MS in Academic Advising, PhD in Leadership in Academic Advising, and PhD in Student Affairs programs in the College of Education at Kansas State University. My research focuses on issues related to spirituality and religion in higher education. Feel free to follow me on Twitter @ChristyMCraft. Phone: 785-532-5940 Address: Kansas State University
1100 Mid-Campus Drive
316 Bluemont Hall
Manhattan, KS 66506
The purpose of this exploratory study was to provide insight into the contextual influences (even... more The purpose of this exploratory study was to provide insight into the contextual influences (events, experiences, and relationships) that impact multidimensional identity development during college. Specifically, the types of influences that shape identity development and the processes by which this development occurs were of interest. The sources of data for this study included the stories told by college alumni as well as the concepts found within commonly used student development inventories and assessment tools. Two methods were used to gather data from the respondents: lifelines and semi-structured interviews. The lifeline was used to encourage reflective thought among the alumni; whereas, the interviews were used to gather information about their experiences during college. A document analysis was conducted on the student development inventories and assessment tools in order to determine the conceptualization of identity found therein. In interpreting the data, a conceptual framework that drew on two bodies of literature (the research that concerns student identity development and the research that focuses on life events and experiences) was used. The results of the current study not only provide insight into the contextual influences that shape multidimensional identity development but also suggest the importance of embracing a constructivist framework and holistic conceptualization when studying identity development. Moreover, the results suggest new ways of thinking about the influence that faculty and administrators have over the environment in terms of shaping identity. Future research should continue to investigate the underlying process of multidimensional identity development
Journal of Campus Activities Practice and Scholarship
The purpose of this study was to gain a better understanding of undergraduate Christian students ... more The purpose of this study was to gain a better understanding of undergraduate Christian students involved in faith-based student organizations at one public, Midwestern research university. Specifically, we were interested in examining select academic experiences, perceptions of the religious and spiritual diversity in the curriculum, and the academic performance of these students as compared to other Christian students and non-Christian students. To that end, we analyzed data collected through a campus climate survey. Findings revealed that Christian students in faith-based student organizations had more favorable perceptions of their academic experiences and the religious and spiritual diversity in the curriculum than did non-Christians, and their academic performance (measured by GPA) was more likely to be higher than that of other Christians and non-Christians. We present several implications for practice, most of which pertain to recognizing and addressing Christian privilege a...
Because almost one half of students enrolled in American doctoral programs do not complete their ... more Because almost one half of students enrolled in American doctoral programs do not complete their degrees, the factors that lead to doctoral student attrition need to be identified. Research suggests that the nature of the advisor–advisee relationship contributes to the persistence levels of doctoral students. In this study, we conducted a content analysis of institutional documents relat ed to advising in two types of doctoral programs in education. Using data collected from a purposeful sample from universities, we analyzed policies, procedures, and expectations related to doctoral student advising. The findings lead to important implications for clarifying roles of advisors and expectations for graduate student advising.
Abstract Some student affairs professionals who are employed at public colleges and universities ... more Abstract Some student affairs professionals who are employed at public colleges and universities feel conflicted about the degree to which they should or should not discuss their religious and/or spiritual beliefs at work. The purpose of this article is to present an overview of legal, developmental, and ethical considerations that should be factored into that decision. The article concludes with recommendations about how to navigate what can sometimes be competing convictions in this regard.
Three studies examined children's understanding of the role that looking behavior plays i... more Three studies examined children's understanding of the role that looking behavior plays in revealing another's desired goal. In each study, participants were asked which of 2 objects a protagonist wanted to obtain. Four-year-olds did not infer that an object examined via prolonged looking was more likely to be the protagonist's goal than an object that was either glanced at or inadvertently touched. Instead, they were accurate only when the protagonist looked at one of two potential goals. In contrast, the majority of 6-year-olds (and adults in Experiment 1) consistently regarded prolonged looking as the more important cue of the protagonist's goal. These age differences suggest that development is characterized by an increasing appreciation that goal is revealed by comparative differences in the quality of perceptual connectedness to objects in the world. One explanation for these age differences is that preschoolers are limited in their understanding of the difference between perceiving with full attention and without it.
The purpose of this exploratory study was to provide insight into the contextual influences (even... more The purpose of this exploratory study was to provide insight into the contextual influences (events, experiences, and relationships) that impact multidimensional identity development during college. Specifically, the types of influences that shape identity development and the processes by which this development occurs were of interest. The sources of data for this study included the stories told by college alumni as well as the concepts found within commonly used student development inventories and assessment tools. Two methods were used to gather data from the respondents: lifelines and semi-structured interviews. The lifeline was used to encourage reflective thought among the alumni; whereas, the interviews were used to gather information about their experiences during college. A document analysis was conducted on the student development inventories and assessment tools in order to determine the conceptualization of identity found therein. In interpreting the data, a conceptual framework that drew on two bodies of literature (the research that concerns student identity development and the research that focuses on life events and experiences) was used. The results of the current study not only provide insight into the contextual influences that shape multidimensional identity development but also suggest the importance of embracing a constructivist framework and holistic conceptualization when studying identity development. Moreover, the results suggest new ways of thinking about the influence that faculty and administrators have over the environment in terms of shaping identity. Future research should continue to investigate the underlying process of multidimensional identity development
Journal of Campus Activities Practice and Scholarship
The purpose of this study was to gain a better understanding of undergraduate Christian students ... more The purpose of this study was to gain a better understanding of undergraduate Christian students involved in faith-based student organizations at one public, Midwestern research university. Specifically, we were interested in examining select academic experiences, perceptions of the religious and spiritual diversity in the curriculum, and the academic performance of these students as compared to other Christian students and non-Christian students. To that end, we analyzed data collected through a campus climate survey. Findings revealed that Christian students in faith-based student organizations had more favorable perceptions of their academic experiences and the religious and spiritual diversity in the curriculum than did non-Christians, and their academic performance (measured by GPA) was more likely to be higher than that of other Christians and non-Christians. We present several implications for practice, most of which pertain to recognizing and addressing Christian privilege a...
Because almost one half of students enrolled in American doctoral programs do not complete their ... more Because almost one half of students enrolled in American doctoral programs do not complete their degrees, the factors that lead to doctoral student attrition need to be identified. Research suggests that the nature of the advisor–advisee relationship contributes to the persistence levels of doctoral students. In this study, we conducted a content analysis of institutional documents relat ed to advising in two types of doctoral programs in education. Using data collected from a purposeful sample from universities, we analyzed policies, procedures, and expectations related to doctoral student advising. The findings lead to important implications for clarifying roles of advisors and expectations for graduate student advising.
Abstract Some student affairs professionals who are employed at public colleges and universities ... more Abstract Some student affairs professionals who are employed at public colleges and universities feel conflicted about the degree to which they should or should not discuss their religious and/or spiritual beliefs at work. The purpose of this article is to present an overview of legal, developmental, and ethical considerations that should be factored into that decision. The article concludes with recommendations about how to navigate what can sometimes be competing convictions in this regard.
Three studies examined children's understanding of the role that looking behavior plays i... more Three studies examined children's understanding of the role that looking behavior plays in revealing another's desired goal. In each study, participants were asked which of 2 objects a protagonist wanted to obtain. Four-year-olds did not infer that an object examined via prolonged looking was more likely to be the protagonist's goal than an object that was either glanced at or inadvertently touched. Instead, they were accurate only when the protagonist looked at one of two potential goals. In contrast, the majority of 6-year-olds (and adults in Experiment 1) consistently regarded prolonged looking as the more important cue of the protagonist's goal. These age differences suggest that development is characterized by an increasing appreciation that goal is revealed by comparative differences in the quality of perceptual connectedness to objects in the world. One explanation for these age differences is that preschoolers are limited in their understanding of the difference between perceiving with full attention and without it.
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