The Composition of Calling: Examining Predictors of Calling in First-Year College Students

Abstract:Recent scholarship suggests that sense of calling may strongly correlate with a host of positive life outcomes. It follows that further investigation into the construct of calling may have promising applications for student affairs professionals, whose work is oriented toward helping students achieve such outcomes. To that end, this study drew upon the work of Haworth, McCruden, and Roy (2001) to examine predictors of sense of calling in a sample of 364 first-year college students. Findings indicated that strengths-self efficacy, civic engagement, and spirituality significantly predicted sense of calling in students. Implications for future research and practice are outlined and discussed.