Exploring the Development of Students' Calling to the Work of an HOD Practitioner in an Undergraduate HOD Degree Program

This dissertation project consisted of a multiple case qualitative study to explore indications of cross-influences between students’ experiences of learning takeaways as participants in one or more HOD undergraduate degree courses and accompanying experiences (if any) of perceiving and/or living a calling to work as HOD practitioners. This phenomenological inquiry involved four undergraduate students who had completed one or more HOD degree courses at Mid-Atlantic States University (MSU as a pseudonym) during a two-year period. Each participant attended a single interview of about 90 minutes in duration, responded to a short vocational calling survey as a guide for interview questioning, and provided a copy of one or two course-concluding reflection papers they had prepared and submitted for recent MSU HOD coursework. The research objective was to identify associative linkage patterns, if any, between specific elements of the students’ HOD course curriculum content and/or course experiential learning activities and their initial sensing of a calling to HOD work and/or a strengthening of such an already perceived vocational calling. This research was undertaken to address the “dearth of research studies focused on identifying tangible factors that might help university students come to perceive a calling for a particular career” (Ehrhardt & Ensher, p. 327). Given the generally high prevalence of positive outcomes found to accompany this type of work orientation (Dik & Duffy, 2018; Duffy & Sedlacek, 2007; Galles & Lenz, 2013;), this bounded exploratory study was seen as a worthwhile venture to potentially help address this research-based knowledge gap for HOD degree educators seeking improved approaches to better prepare their HOD degree students for service as emerging practitioners. The study results included evidence supporting 14 “suppositions” about specific HOD course content elements and experiential learning experiences identified as associated with calling infusing or calling reinforcing effects for one or more of the participating students.