The following presents preliminary qualitative findings from the first wave of the LIVE Project, focusing on how first-year students describe their own sense of calling, vocation, or purpose in their own words.
Students were first asked which word — calling, vocation, or purpose — they resonated with most when thinking about a deeply meaningful pursuit in their life and future career.
Of the full sample (N = 3,648), 82.2% (n = 2,997) reported currently having a sense of calling, vocation, or purpose. Students who said yes were then asked to describe it in their own words. After excluding those who did not provide a written response, the qualitative analysis is based on 2,852 students: Calling (n = 876), Vocation (n = 388), and Purpose (n = 1,588).
Qualitative responses were analyzed using DECOTA (Deep Computational Text Analyser; Player et al., 2025), a machine learning method that automatically identifies themes and codes from large sets of open-ended text responses. This approach is similar to how a human researcher would conduct thematic analysis, but at a much larger scale. DECOTA has been shown to produce themes that agree with human coding over 90% of the time, while being substantially faster. Analyses were conducted separately for students who selected calling, vocation, and purpose.
Students who chose calling described it in the most personally and values-driven terms. Themes included artistic and creative self-expression, faith and spreading God’s love, using one’s gifts to serve others, striving for knowledge, and a desire to make a meaningful difference. Notably, some students also expressed genuine uncertainty about their calling.
Students who chose vocation described it in the most role-defined and externally-oriented terms. Themes were concrete and specific with pursuing a specific career and being a student as central themes.
Students who chose purpose offered the broadest and most varied descriptions, extending beyond work into life as a whole. Themes included relationships and being a good family member or friend, giving back to parents, living fully and being present, personal growth, faith and glorifying God, and academic and career achievement.