University of the Pacific Scholarly Commons University of the Pacific Theses and Graduate School Dissertations 2021 STRESS RESILIENCE DEVELOPMENT OF UNDERGRADUATE STUDENT LEADERS AT FAITH-BASED UNIVERSITIES DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC: A GROUNDED THEORY STUDY David Heitman University of the Pacific Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarlycommons.edu/uop_etds Part of the Educational Administration and Supervision Commons, and the Educational Leadership Commons Recommended Citation Heitman, David. STRESS RESILIENCE DEVELOPMENT OF UNDERGRADUATE STUDENT LEADERS AT FAITH-BASED UNIVERSITIES DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC: A GROUNDED THEORY STUDY. University of the Pacific, Dissertation.edu/uop_etds/3769 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at Scholarly Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Scholarly Commons.
For more information, please contact mgibney@pacific. 1 STRESS RESILIENCE DEVELOPMENT OF UNDERGRADUATE STUDENT LEADERS AT FAITH-BASED UNIVERSITIES DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC: A GROUNDED THEORY STUDY By David Heitman A Dissertation Submitted to the Graduate School In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of DOCTOR OF EDUCATION Benerd College Educational Leadership and Innovation University of the Pacific Sacramento, California 2021 2 STRESS RESILIENCE DEVELOPMENT OF UNDERGRADUATE STUDENT LEADERS AT FAITH-BASED UNIVERSITIES DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC: A GROUNDED THEORY STUDY By David Heitman APPROVED BY: Dissertation Advisor: Delores McNair, Ed. Committee Member: Rod Githens, Ph. Committee Member: Brett Taylor, Ed.
Senior Associate Dean of Benerd College: Linda Webster, Ph. 3 STRESS RESILIENCE DEVELOPMENT OF UNDERGRADUATE STUDENT LEADERS AT FAITH-BASED UNIVERSITIES DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC: A GROUNDED THEORY STUDY Copyright 2021 By David Heitman 4 DEDICATION This dedication belongs to Melissa, the love of my life and my greatest encourager. 5 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS My gratitude goes to the following incredible people who supported and cheered me along the doctoral journey. McNair, my chair, and my committee members, Dr.
Brett Taylor and Dr. Rick Hutley for being a fantastic peer reviewer and friend; to Cohort 4; my editor, Dr. Mark Thompson; my former Jessup Student Life team who do the incredible work of developing transformational leaders for the glory of God; for the special encouragement of Dr. Kay Llovio, Dr.
David Timms, Dr. Daniel Gluck, Dr. Ron Williams, and Pastor Richard Cimino. Special thanks to the student leaders who participated in this study and to the faith-based institutions they attended, and to all the fantastic student leaders that I have had the opportunity to lead and serve alongside over my years in Christian higher education.
Of course, to my loving wife, Melissa, who made this incredible opportunity possible, and our arrows Noah, Corban, Hope, and Halee; may you always fly true for the Lord; to my parents; and most of all, glory to Jesus Christ, the author and perfecter of my faith. 6 STRESS RESILIENCE DEVELOPMENT OF UNDERGRADUATE STUDENT LEADERS AT FAITH-BASED UNIVERSITIES DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC: A GROUNDED THEORY STUDY Abstract By David Heitman University of the Pacific 2021 Undergraduate student leaders express increasing stress levels, often leaving them unprepared to lead in a complex world of challenge and change. While higher education heavily invests in preparing graduates to think critically and lead successfully, research shows an increasing number of students display low-stress resiliency and risk-aversion while struggling to cope with challenge and failure pre- and post-graduation. This study, conducted at faith-based Christian universities during the COVID-19 pandemic, used grounded theory to generate a generalizable leadership stress resilience model that explains: (a) Why and how undergraduate student leaders experience stress; (b)The influence of stress on student leaders at faith-based institutions; (c)The various processes and strategies student leaders employ to resolve their main concerns regarding the impact and consequences of stress; and (d) The role faith plays, if any, in how student leaders cope with stress.
This study informs student leadership development for higher education professionals in the critical area of stress resilience and reveals insights into the formative role faith has on leaders, particularly the influence of faith on leadership stress coping. Three meta-themes of student leader expectations, processing student leadership stress, and the role personal authentic faith played in developing stress resilience versus an obligatory faith that compounded stress emerged. The leadership stress resilience model assists in mapping and 7 forecasting stress to better understand the convergence and compounding effects of stress. While existing scholarship covers leadership development and leadership stress, little was previously known about the influence of stress on student leaders at faith-based institutions.
8 TABLE OF CONTENTS List of Tables. 16 List of Figures. 17 List of Abbreviations. 27 The Problem of Practice.
28 The Purpose of This Dissertation Study. 29 Significance of the Study. 32 Chapter 2: Literature Review. 34 Student Leadership and Stress Resilience.
38 9 Background of Grounded Theory. 42 Constructivist Grounded Theory…………………………………………………. 51 Introduction to the Study. 51 Grounded Theory Methodology……………………………………………………….
52 Study Design…………………………………………………………………………… 54 Study Participants. 56 Data Collection and Analysis…………………………………………………………. 62 Trustworthiness: Evaluating Grounded Theory. 65 Pictures and Metaphors of Leadership………………………………………………… 69 Research Question Findings…………………………………………………………… 73 Why and How Undergraduate Student Leaders Experience Stress…………… 73 Leading Peers – “An Odd Paradoxical Relationship”………………… 74 Duality of Student and Leader – “Get Sucked In; Becomes an Identity”………………………………………………………………… 75 Performance Doubt – “What If No One Shows Up?”…………….
77 Overcommitted and Overwhelmed – “I Suck at Saying No”…………… 79 10 COVID Impact – “COVID Was a Series of Slow Letdowns”…………. 80 Online and Zoom Fatigue – “Zoom Is Convenient but Very Unmotivating”…………………………………………………………. 84 Team Stress (Interpersonal) – Miscommunication and Increased Workload………………………………………………………………. 85 Accounting for the Data………………………………………………………… 87 The Influence and Impact of Stress…………………………………………….
87 Good and Bad Stress – “There Is a Fine Line Between Motivation and Being Overwhelmed”……………………………………………… 87 Perfectionism – “Performative Pressure”………………………………. 89 Uncertainty – “COVID Has Taught Us Nothing Is Guaranteed”………. 92 Burnout and Breakdown – “Ghosting”…………………………………. 93 Discouragement Leading to Apathy – “They Don’t Care, So Why Should I?”……………………………………………………………….
95 Irritability – “Loss of Niceties Over Time”……………………………. 96 Unhealthy Lifestyle – Sleeping and Eating……………………………… 97 Personal Loss – “I’m Suffering Loss Too, Am I Allowed to Grieve?”………………………………………………………………. 98 Accounting for the Data………………………………………………………….100 Coping With Stress………………………………………………………………100 Supportive Supervisor – Advisor, Guide, Model, Supporter, Encourager……………………………………………………………….100 Pause – “Taking Five Minutes Saved Me So Many Times”……………. 102 Organization and Prioritization – “Google Calendar Is My Best Friend; It Calms Me”…………………………………………………….104 Personal Boundaries – “Don’t Let Others Control You”……………….105 Self-Care – “Care for the Soul Can Be a Lot of Things”……………….107 11 Community – “A Support System Inside and Out”………………………108 Team – Openness and Honesty………………………………………….
110 Ask for Help – “Help; Stress Is Kicking My Butt!”……………………… 111 Accounting for the Data…………………………………………………………. 113 The Role of Faith…………………………………………………………………114 Turn to God – “God Already Walks With Me”………………………….114 Communication With God – Prayer and Scripture………………………. 116 Community of Faith – “Christian Community Is a Shared Faith Experience”………………………………………………………………. 118 Perspective – “I Am Not the Savior of This Program”…………………… 119 Hindrance – Expectations of “a Good Christian”………………………… 123 Accounting for the Data: The Role of Faith……………………………………… 124 Never Thought of Before Now…………………………………………………… 125 Summary Conclusion…………………………………………………………….
132 Findings, Implications, and Conclusions…………………………………………………. 132 Why and How Undergraduate Student Leaders Experience Stress………………. 134 Leading Peers – “An Odd Paradoxical Relationship”……………………………. 135 Duality of Student and Leader – “Get Sucked In; Becomes an Identity”…………………………………………………………………………… 136 12 Performance Doubt – “What If No One Shows Up?”………………….137 Overcommitted and Overwhelmed – “I Suck at Saying No”……………138 COVID Impact – “COVID Was a Series of Slow Letdowns”………….140 Online and Zoom Fatigue – “Zoom Is Convenient but Very Unmotivating”………………………………………………………… 141 Team Stress (Interpersonal) – Miscommunication and Increased Workload…………………………………………………………………143 The Influence and Impact of Stress……………………………………………… 144 Good and Bad Stress – “There Is a Fine Line Between Motivation and Being Overwhelmed”……………………………………………….145 Perfectionism – “Performative Pressure”……………………………….146 Uncertainty – “COVID Has Taught Us Nothing Is Guaranteed”……….147 Burnout and Breakdown – “Ghosting”………………………………….148 Discouragement Leading to Apathy – “They Don’t Care, So Why Should I?”……………………………………………………………….150 Irritability – “Loss of Niceties Over Time”……………………………… 151 Unhealthy Lifestyle – Sleeping and Eating……………………………… 152 Personal Loss – “I’m Suffering Loss Too, Am I Allowed to Grieve?”……………………………………………………………….
152 Coping With Stress………………………………………………………………. 154 Supportive Supervisor – Advisor, Guide, Model, Supporter, Encourager………………………………………………………………. 155 Pause – “Taking Five Minutes Saved Me So Many Times”……………. 156 Organization and Prioritization – “Google Calendar Is My Best Friend; It Calms Me”.
157 Personal Boundaries – “Don’t Let Others Control You”……………….159 Self-Care – “Care for the Soul Can Be a Lot of Things”……………….160 13 Community – “A Support System Inside and Out”…………………… 161 Team – Openness and Honesty………………………………………. 162 Ask for Help – “Help; Stress Is Kicking My Butt!”…………………. 163 The Role of Faith……………………………………………………………… 164 Turn to God – “God Already Walks With Me”………………………. 166 Communication with God – Prayer and Scripture…………………….
167 Community of Faith – “Christian Community Is a Shared Faith Experience”……………………………………………………………. 168 Perspective – “I Am Not the Savior of This Program”………………. 170 Hindrance – Expectations of “a Good Christian”……………………… 172 Limitations……………………………………………………………………. 174 Chapter 6: Leadership Stress Resilience Model and Recommendations…………………….
176 Three Meta-Themes…………………………………………………………………… 177 Undergraduate Student Leadership Expectations at Faith-Based Universities……………………………………………………………………. 177 Processing Undergraduate Student Leadership Stress………………………… 179 The Faith Factor………………………………………………………………. 180 Leadership Stress Resilience Model…………………………………………………… 181 Leadership Stress Resilience Model Layers…………………………………………… 182 Using the LSR Model…………………………………………………………………. 187 Stress Mapping………………………………………………………………… 188 Stress Forecasting……………………………………………………………… 189 14 How and Why Undergraduate Student Leaders Experience Stress…………….191 Leading Peers……………………………………………………………191 Both of Student and Leader…………………………………………….191 Performance Doubt………………………………………………………192 Overcommitted and Overwhelmed……………………….193 Challenge of COVID-19……………………………………………….193 Online Zoom Fatigue……………………………………………………193 Team Stress (Interpersonal)…………………………………………….193 The Influence and Impact of Stress…………………………………………….
194 Good/ Bad Stress……………………………………………………….194 Uncertainty………………………………………………………………195 Burnout and Breakdown…………………………………………………195 Discouragement Apathy…………………………………………………195 Irritability……………………………………………………………….196 Unhealthy Lifestyle………………………………………………………196 Personal Loss…………………………………………………………….196 Coping With Stress………………………………………………………………197 Supervisor……………………………………………………………….197 Organization and Prioritization………………………………………….198 Self-Care…………………………………………………………………198 15 Community……………………………………………………………. 198 Team…………………………………………………………………… 199 Ask for Help…………………………………………………………… 199 Meta-Theme Insights and Recommendations Using the LSR Model…………………. 199 Undergraduate Student Leadership Expectations at Faith-Based Universities……………………………………………………………………. 199 Processing Undergraduate Student Leadership Stress………………………….
202 Faith Factor – Role of Faith……………………………………………………. 204 Further Utilizing the LSR Model………………………………………………. 207 LSR Model Recommendations………………………………………………………… 209 Summary………………………………………………………………………………. 211 Chapter 7: Personal Leadership Journey……………………………………………………….
212 Leader and Model Development………………………………………………………. 213 Faith and Stress………………………………………………………………………… 214 References……………………………………………………………………………………… 217 Appendices A. Informed Consent Document………………………………………………………. Stress Resilience Focused Coding Outline………………………………………….
243 16 LIST OF TABLES Table 1. Demographic Description of Participants……………………………………….……66 17 LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1. Grounded theory (GT) stress resilience study concept map………………………. Grounded theory concept map……………………………………………………….
Leadership stress resilience (LSR) model……………………………………………. Adapted leadership stress resilience (LSR) model…………………………………. Single source of stress interacting with leadership stress resilience model………… 185 6. Multiple sources of stress interacting with leadership stress resilience model…….
Genuine personal faith versus obligatory faith………………………………………206 18 LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS CCCU Council for Christian Colleges and Universities CDC Centers for Disease Control CFC Chief Financial Officer COVID-19 Corona Virus Disease 2019 DTR Defining the Relationship FOMO Fear of Missing Out GEN Z Generation Z GPS Global Positioning Systems GT Grounded Theory IRB Institutional Review Board LSR Leadership Stress Resilience RA Resident Advisor ROI Return on Investment SGA Student Government Association 19 CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION Background Undergraduate students express increasing levels of stress, leaving them less resilient to lead in a complex world (Barker et al., 2017; Karaman et al. Students who display low-stress resilience and risk-aversion behavior are susceptible to feeling overwhelmed during college and struggle with similar feelings in post-graduation life (Acharya et al. Undergraduate student leaders navigated ever-increasing stress levels due to a convergence of significant challenging factors during the 2020-2021 pandemic. The academic year 2020-2021 saw a merging of significant pressures that disrupted young adulthood’s critical developmental period characterized by change and transition with student mental health concerns on the rise (June, 2020).
Current student leaders felt particularly burdened by the stress as they led their peers during this time of pandemic guidelines and uncertainty, pushing some student leaders to strike, and even quit (Mangan, 2020). Furthermore, student leaders of color navigate the challenges mentioned above with the additional burden of a lived experience of bias and fear during a time of national social unrest, further compounding their stress (Torres-Harding et al. It is increasingly apparent that undergraduate student leaders need to develop the capacity to manage their stress as leaders in today’s world. If there was ever a time to invest in developing student leaders’ stress resilience, it is undoubtedly now.