Date of Award
Fall 11-4-2025
Document Type
Dissertation
Publication Status
Version of Record
Submission Date
November 2025
Department
Educational Leadership and Research Methodology
College Granting Degree
College of Education
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Thesis/Dissertation Advisor [Chair]
Jennifer L. Bloom
Abstract
The study explored how Jehovah’s Witnesses (JW) college students make meaning of their academic, social, and spiritual engagement while enrolled in secular higher education. The study used a phenomenological approach to qualitative research design. Phenomenological methods were chosen to capture the lived experience of 17 JW college students, using purposeful sampling methods with data analyzed using Moustakas’s (1994) transcendental approach. The Watchtower Society’s (TWS) stance on higher education has been consistently discouraging, portraying college environments as spiritually dangerous and warning that exposure to secular ideologies, critical thinking, and worldly influences can weaken faith or lead to apostasy. The research questions for the study are:
1. How do Jehovah’s Witnesses college students in secular higher education institutions resolve what they learn in the classroom with The Watchtower Society’s religious dogmas? 2. How does the affiliation of Jehovah’s Witnesses college students with The Watchtower Society affect their academic, social, and spiritual involvement while studying in secular higher education institutions? 3. What strategies do Jehovah’s Witnesses college students use to manage their academic, social, and spiritual responsibilities while enrolled in secular higher education institutions?
The conceptual framework that guided this study is Baxter Magolda’s (2001, 2007, 2008, 2011, 2014) theory of self-authorship, which explores how individuals transition from externally defined beliefs to internally constructed identities, a process particularly relevant to understanding how JW college students navigate secular higher education. The research questions were answered by conducting two semi-structured interviews (Seidman, 2019) with JW college student participants who met the sample criteria. A document analysis of TWS’s journals, magazines, Awake!, and Watchtower pamphlets was also conducted. This study addresses a significant gap in the literature by providing the first phenomenological exploration of JW students’ experiences in secular higher education, offering insights into their strategies for navigating academic, social, and spiritual challenges.
Recommended Citation
Miller, Michael Orlando, "A PHENOMENOLOGICAL EXPLORATION OF JEHOVAH’S WITNESSES COLLEGE STUDENTS’ EXPERIENCE WITH SECULAR HIGHER EDUCATION" (2025). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 207.
https://digitalcommons.fau.edu/etd_general/207