ABSTRACT
In his 1971 novel Love in the Ruins, Walker Percy’s protagonist, Dr. Tom Moore, invented an instrument—an ontological lapsometer—by which he could determine an individual’s state of spiritual well-being. Forty years later, while still well short of such a tool, we are further along in measuring spiritual development by more conventional means. Peter Hill and Ralph Hood’s important Measures of Religiosity (1999) represents a collection of 186 instruments in 17 categories developed since 1935, though only a handful of these measures specifically address spirituality. In the last decade, however, new spirituality measures have been introduced (Astin, Astin, & Lindholm, 2011a; Hall & Edwards, 2002; Hodge, 2003; Raiya, Pargament, Mahoney, & Stein, 2008; Seidlitz, Abernethy, Duberstien, Evinger, Chang, & Lewis, 2002; Underwood & Teresi, 2002). Also, important analytical and conceptual studies have appeared addressing the relationship of religion and spirituality and advances in their measurement (Ashmos & Duchon, 2000; Hill & Pargament, 2003; MacDonald, 2000; Moberg, 2002). The most notable instrument among these recent developments is the College Students’ Beliefs and Values Survey (CSBV) (Astin, Astin, & Lindholm, 2011a). The development of the CSBV seems to be a logical next step following the national seven-year UCLA Spirituality in Higher Education study, data from which are the basis for the four studies considered in this outcomes section (Astin, Astin, & Lindholm, 2011b). The use of the CSBV will be central to extending and deepening the knowledge base on the religious-spiritual outcomes of college, including any follow up of the findings of these studies. My reflection will comment on the contribution of these four studies and their place in the higher education religious-spiritual outcomes literature, and will also include observations on possible areas for further research.
