The title of this post may make you pause, first to consider what it means to teach vocational exploration in biology, and then to consider how it could be done in your courses. In the undergraduate biology classroom, you may have to explain the expansive meaning of vocation as well as give students a reason to explore vocation “at this time and in this place.” Most students in biology seem either to be undecided about what to do next or to have pre-determined ideas, such as attend medical school. For this reason, we might be tempted not to consider other vocational opportunities that could resonate with the students’ natural talents.
Many of us are unsure of the future, so I share with students that after graduate school, I wasn’t sure if I wanted to teach or work in industry. The idea of vocational exploration is golden. But to be able to explore it meaningfully with first-year students who just want to study biology, we must help them gain clarity on what it entails. To assess students’ levels of concern about their future vocations and levels of clarity about the concept of vocation, I first administered the following pre-survey to a total of 32 first-year students in a cell and molecular biology lab:
Pre-survey:
- Are you stressed about major selection?
- Are you stressed about what to do next after school?
- Are you looking for ways to explore vocation?
Second, I engaged them in discussion of their understanding of vocation during lab to ensure participation. As expected, about 90 percent of the students’ comments in the pre-survey discussion connected vocation to a formal job with no reference to daily activities that do not earn income.
Third, I introduced them to an expansive view of vocation that places emphasis on daily responsibilities irrespective of income. I emphasized that God calls people to work; hence, any responsibility we have that is lawful is God’s calling. To illustrate this to students, I asked them to complete a vocational mapping activity. I also assigned chapters four, seven, and eight of Living Vocationally: The Journey of the Called Life by Paul J. Wadell and Charles R. Pinches.
The three pre-survey questions were repeated in the post-survey along with two new questions: one that assessed students’ clarity on the concept of vocation, and one that assessed if their clarity influenced any change in how they think of their choice of current or future vocation.
Post-survey:
- Are you stressed about major selection?
- Are you stressed about what to do next after school?
- Are you looking for ways to explore your vocation?
- How will you rate your clarity on the idea of vocation now? [Compared to before the mapping and reading activity]
- Vocation clarity caused a shift in your choice of future vocation
Results
Most students are confident about their choice of a major because they have indicated 1 on a 5-point scale as their level of stress in choosing a major (Figure 1a).The level of confidence about their choice of a major remained steady after gaining clarity on the concept of vocation, indicated by a rating of 1 on a 5-point scale (Figure 1b).
Most are worried about what to do after graduation because they have indicated 3 on a 5-point scale as their level of stress about what to do after graduation (Figure 2a). Their level of concern about what to do after graduation seems to have gone up after gaining clarity on the concept of vocation (Figure 2b), as the majority indicated a 4 on 5-point scale as their level of concern regarding what to do after graduation.
Initially, students were not looking for ways to explore vocation, as most indicated a rating of 2 on a 5-point scale for “looking for ways to explore vocation” (Figure 3a). Having gained clarity on the concept of vocation, they seemed to be more receptive to looking for ways to explore vocation, with the majority indicating 3 on a 5-point scale for “looking for ways to explore vocation” (Figure 3b).
Most students gained clarity on the concept of vocation, rated 4 on a 5-point scale, following intervention activities (Figure 4a). This gain in clarity on the concept of vocation influenced a shift in vocation, rated a 3 on a 5-point scale (Figure 4b).
This pilot study reveals some simple but interesting trends.
Stress regarding major selection
The results suggest that most students are confident in their choice of a major, with most indicating a stress level of 1 on a 5-point scale when choosing a major (Figure 1a). Students sometimes choose a major purely based on “wish,” which could account for their confidence at this time. This level of confidence remained fairly constant, rated 1 on a 5-point scale, even after the intervention activities (Figure 1b).
Level of worry about what to do after graduation
Although most students are confident about their choice of a major, they harbor a level of worry about their vocations after graduation, rated 3 on a 5-point scale (Figure 2a). Interestingly, their level of concern about what to do after graduation seems to have gone up, rated 4 on 5-point scale (Figure 2b), after gaining clarity on the concept of vocation. Perhaps the first year of college is too early to ask about post-graduation plans.
Looking for ways to explore vocation
Before the intervention exercises, students did not show much enthusiasm for exploring vocation, rated 2 on a 5-point scale (Figure 3a). I attribute the initial lack of enthusiasm here to their not having been presented with opportunities to explore vocation. It may also be due to the lack of clarity on the concept of vocation, what it entails, and what it takes to explore it “at this time and in this place.” Gaining clarity matters for engaging in a meaningful exploration process.
After students gained a more expansive view of vocation, more of them reported looking for ways to explore vocation, a 3 on a 5-point scale (Figure 3b) compared to the pre-survey 2 on a 5-point scale (Figure 3a).
Gaining clarity on the concept of vocation
Following the intervention activities—the discussion of what vocation entails, the reading assignments emphasizing vocation, and the vocational mapping activity–most students gained clarity on the concept of vocation, with most rating it 4 on a 5-point scale (Figure 4a).
Microevolution of vocation
Students also demonstrated a shift in their ideas about their current or future vocation, rated 3 on a 5-point scale (figure 4b) because of the gain in clarity on the concept of vocation. This corresponds to how our vocations evolve based on information, encounters, circumstances, or events.
Challenges
Of the 32 students who participated in the presurvey, only 12 of them completed the reading, which had been assigned during the Christmas break.
Conclusion
We learned that students are generally confident about their major but are worried about what to do after graduation. When they gain clarity on the concept of vocation and are presented with opportunities to explore vocation, they become more open to it and seek vocational exploration.
Prince N. Agbedanu is an associate professor of biology, genetics and biochemistry at Friends University in Wichita, Kansas, where he is also director of health sciences. He is a NetVUE Faculty Fellow, having been a member of the 2022 cohort of the Faculty Seminar on Teaching Vocational Exploration.