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Interact - September 2020 (Special Edition)
MK RESEARCH: FOUNDATIONS
D a v i d L . W i c k s t r o m , P h d
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In the October 1994 issue of Evangelical Missions Quarterly (EMQ), this author had an article published in which he stated, “Missionary research is getting a bad name, especially as it relates to missionary kids (MKs). As one MK put it, ‘I believe that we are always sought out and used as a source of study since we are so easily targeted .... It seems that many books and articles written are only by those who have had bad experiences. This definitely affects those who have never been overseas.” The opinions of many MKs can be summarized in the statement: “We’re getting tired of being studied so much; we’re constantly getting surveys, and it makes us feel like we’re strange or something, like guinea pigs.” However, many MKs are saying just the opposite. As one said, “I’m so glad someone has stopped speculating and is actually doing some good solid research on MKs.’”
During the years prior to 1994 and starting as early as 1977, some serious research studies had been conducted, three of them Doctoral dissertations. In 1977 C.B. Hermann wrote a dissertation titled “Foundational factors of trust and autonomy influencing the identity-formation of the multi-cultural life-styled MK.” D. J. Schipper completed a dissertation titled “Self-concept differences between early, late and non-boarding missionary children.” Both of these studies were published that year in Dissertation Abstracts International. A classmate of D.J. Schipper was the current author who, in 1978 wrote a Doctoral dissertation titled “Self-esteem and dependency in early, late and non-boarding missionary children.” Research with MKs and related issues was gaining traction, especially after the International Conference for Missionary Kids (ICMK) was held in Manila, Philippines in 1984.
At that first ICMK, participants shared their stories, and numerous individuals who worked with MKs shared their experiences. The atmosphere was one of inclusion and belonging, a feeling of “being at home” and of “not being strange.” This conference generated so much momentum that a second ICMK was held in1987 in Quito, Ecuador, and a third was held in 1989 in Nairobi, Kenya. At these ICMKs little empirical research described the MK experience. However, mission organizations were beginning to desire a more thorough and substantiated understanding of MKs.
It was at this point that MK-CART/CORE was established. It was consortium of eventually 11 mission organizations (CART—Consultation and Research Team) and six researchers (CORE—Committee on Research and Endowment). The mandate for CART/CORE was for the missionary organizations and the researchers to design studies of mutual interest and concern to the missions, for the researchers to conduct the research, and for MK- CART/CORE to meet annually to discuss the results of each study. The studies conducted by MK-CART/CORE and the findings/results that emerged laid the foundation for our understanding of MKs and their families as well as for the research that has followed.
Dale Hawley (Missions Resource Network, 2004)
As was evident in the dissertations by Schipper and Wickstrom, the topic of MK education and especially personality trait development related to boarding school influences was a hot topic. Therefore, the first MK- CART/CORE study involved researchers traveling to 20 different boarding schools in Asia, Africa, Europe and the Latin America to investigate the qualities boarding school personnel possessed and qualities they deemed ideal for staff members to have. Out of the total sample of 579 staff members, 54 were administrators, 337 were teachers, 107 were boarding home parents, and 81 were identified generally as support staff.
For each of the personnel groups, five general traits or qualities were described as being desirable. First, each staff member should have the basic professional knowledge and skills necessary to fulfill the requirements of the position. Secondly, personnel needed to have a healthy and growing spiritual life. Thirdly, the effective staff member is one whose “walk matches his/her talk.” Fourthly, staff need a strong commitment to the community, expressed by their willingness to be available, to encourage balanced living, to be aware of the needs of others, and to attempt to help when appropriate. Finally, and perhaps most importantly, a sense of call was viewed as crucial, not only to missionary work in general, but to boarding school ministry specifically.
In the EMQ article, more specific qualities for each position were delineated. These qualities were discussed with the members of MK-CART who could pass the information on to the decision-makers in their mission organizations. As a result of this study, mission recruiters and assessors have been much more intentional in using the criteria specified to help them choose and deploy the most effective and committed boarding school staff they can find. These appointments have included extensive personal interviews as well as the use of standardized psychological and personality assessments. The result, at least from what this author has learned, is that boarding schools are functioning much more effectively and safely than before the study. In addition, many parents have decided not to send their children to boarding school but are homeschooling their children or using national or international schools where they live and work.
A second study conducted by MK-CART/CORE had to do with the missionary family overall, not just the children. Family interpersonal communication, problem-solving skills, sense of belonging, satisfaction with their work, longevity of service, and overall adjustment of family members were all explored. Both demographic questions and standardized measurements were utilized in this study. One interesting finding in the study had to do with satisfaction and longevity of service.
In answer to the question, “Did you become a missionary as a response of obedience to the Great Commission (go into all the world and make disciples) or out of a sense of personal call?” There were statistically significant differences between the two groups. Those answering that they chose to serve as missionaries out of a “personal sense of call” experienced a greater sense of effectiveness, satisfaction and having greater longevity than did those who became missionaries as a “response to the Great Commission.” The first group was also able to handle setbacks, trauma and stress better than the second group. These data suggest that a sense of fulfillment and ability to handle the challenges of life overseas are more related to a sense of a personal relationship and calling by God than simply obeying God’s commandment. Mission organizations are now including questions regarding “sense of call” in their pre-field assessments. The interpersonal connection was a significant factor, not only in this study but in all of the studies conducted by MK-CART/CORE.
Each of the studies indicated that overall adjustment and functioning of MKs were related to the closeness, communication, problem-solving skills and enjoyment of the parents with each other. The better the relationship between the parents and between the parents and their children, the better prepared were the children to handle the adjustments, setbacks and stresses of life including whether they attended boarding schools, international schools, national schools or were homeschooled. They also had greater resilience and were more effective in handling life as adults when they had a solid foundation of strong parent-to-parent and parent-to-child relationships.
This was especially evident in the results from the third study conducted by MK-CART/CORE. It was a retrospective study conducted with adult MKs (AMKs) who were each asked to fill out a 47-page questionnaire describing their experiences growing up. The researchers sampled a pool of over 10,000 adult MKs from participating missions, and 1,475 were questionnaires were mailed out to the sample participants. Out of that number, over 600 usable protocols were returned describing a myriad of details regarding spiritual, educational, social and vocational aspects of their lives. In addition, almost 200 respondents provided written comments, even lengthy letters, giving stories of victories, struggles, trauma and reflections from their experiences overseas. Almost 80% of the respondents indicated a willingness to have an extensive follow-up interview with a CORE member, a number of which were completed. Each CORE researcher had the same list of questions to ask the MKs who responded.
Again, the relationship between the parents and between parents and children was a key factor contributing to the well-being and life-satisfaction experienced by the adult MK. One of the most significant and surprising pieces of data resulting from the interviews was in response to the question, “When you were growing up, who was the most important person in your life … and why?” A list of answers was provided from which the AMK could choose such as mother, father, both parents, a sibling, a houseparent at the boarding school, a teacher, an administrator, a famous sports figure, etc.
Most of the CORE researchers, basing their experience on studies regarding the influence of mothers on their children, thought AMKs would say “Mother.” Instead, 55% of the respondents identified “Father” as the most important person in their life. Why? “He spent time with me”; “He knew I liked basketball, so he would play basketball with me in 120 degree heat”; “He included me in his work”; “He lived out what he preached”; “When I came out of my bedroom in the morning, Dad would be kneeling by the couch praying for me and the family”; “When I was falsely accused of doing something wrong at school, Dad drove 200 miles to come and defend me”. Again, the quality of a close, caring, loving, and committed relationship with Father formed the foundation for these AMKs further well-being in life.
MK-CART/CORE members worked together for 15 years (from 1987-2002) developing and conducting studies. They eventually wrote a book called The Family in Mission: Understanding and Caring for Those Who Serve, and it was published by Mission Training International in Colorado Springs, CO.
During the years MC-CART/CORE was conducting its research, another large research project, was launched in 1994. In 1997, a book called Too Valuable to Lose: Exploring the Causes and Cures of Missionary Attrition was published by William Carey Library. This study included many organizations identified as being from the “Old Sending Countries” (OSC). These included the UK, the U. S., Denmark, Germany, Canada, Australia, and others. It also included organizations identified as being from “New Sending Countries” (NSC) such as Brazil, Costa Rica, Ghana, India, Korea, Nigeria, Philippines, and Singapore.
Common reasons mentioned as contributing to missionaries leaving the field early were family ailing parents in their home country); children’s issues including educational concerns; systemic issues and management problems in the sending organization; unrealistic expectations; inadequate pre-field training; conflicts, with co-workers and nationals; marriage conflicts and child-rearing issues.
Other reasons were mentioned and discussed at length, and relevant statistics were presented. At the same time, deeper issues which contributed to attrition were mentioned including the entire process of selection, training, sending, supervision, and pastoral care of missionaries, often known as Member Care. Whatever the reasons and statistics given for missionaries leaving the field early, one Old Sending Country agency reported in 1996 that “47% of missionaries leave the field during the first five years, and 71% of them do so for preventable reasons. MKs in the families are of course impacted and perhaps unnecessarily so.”
At the end of the ReMAP report, several areas contributing to missionary attrition were mentioned as needing further study and research. In 2002 a second ReMAP project was launched, this time named Retaining Missionaries, Agency Practices known as ReMAP II, and a book called Worth Keeping: Global Perspectives on Best Practice in Missionary Retention was published in 2007, again by William Carey Library. And again, the need for open and healthy communication between the missionary and the agency, adequate training pre-field and on-field, inclusion of MKs in the pre-field selection process as well as in on-field training were all noted as important factors in the retention of missionaries. In this book, Worth Keeping, there are numerous charts, graphs, and statistics to describe the research and its conclusions.
Except for the ReMAP II project started in 2002 (about the time MK-CART/CORE completed its mandate), it appears that very little hard data have been generated, and no one has apparently picked up the mantle to conduct further data-based, statistically-significant studies having to do with missionaries and their families. This means that there are ample research opportunities for those who wish to contribute to the effectiveness, well-being and longevity of missionaries and organizations. Some opportunities and research questions that come to mind, and others mentioned in the will be enumerated below.
1.
Because of the significant changes in the education of MKs from a primary emphasis on use of boarding schools to providing other options (homeschooling, national schools, international schools, roving educators to assess children and train parents on how best to teach their children), which methods seem to be working the best and why?
2.
What types of resources are needed and how can they be provided (e.g. special education teachers, school psychologists, guidance counselors, mental health professionals, etc.) to help parents and children resolve marital issues, family problems, and learning challenges in children. How can these resources be recruited and placed where most needed?
3.
Which agency systemic issues (eg. leadership style, communication styles, on-field support, investigatory practices, conflict-resolution methods, ethos of the organization, etc.) contribute the most either to (a) ongoing effective missionary service and well-being of missionaries or to (b) discouragement, reduced performance, resentment and bitterness in missionaries? What can be done to improve these practices or address the systemic issues?
4.
Which assessment and training tools are being used or could be used to improve the recruitment of missionary candidates and subsequent retention of healthy and effective workers?
5.
What are the most common factors contributing to the success, spiritual growth and well-being of adult MKs, and what are the most common factors contributing to bitterness, leaving the faith, and dysfunctional personal and relational attitudes and behaviors?
It has been the purpose of this writer, both as a psychologist and as an MK, to shed some light on some of the research that has been conducted and conclusions drawn in the past. In addition, it is my fervent hope that other MKs, missionaries, mental health practitioners, and educators will explore some of the research questions mentioned above so that the work of missionaries and the well-being of MKs are enhanced for the glory of God.
David L. Wickstrom, Phd
Dr. David Wickstrom grew up as an MK in Nigeria. He graduated with a Bachelor’s degree from Grace College in Indiana. He obtained his Master’s and PhD degrees from Rosemead School of Psychology in California. Since 1978, Dr. Wickstrom has been a psychotherapist and has specialized in pre-field psychological assessments of missionary candidates and in counseling missionaries, MKs and cross-cultural workers. For 15 years he was part of the MK CART/CORE research team that conducted studies with MKs and their families. In addition, he works in career assessment using the Highlands Ability Battery (both for missionaries and nonmissionary clients as well as with teens and adults). He meets regularly with people in the U.S. and overseas and serves several mission organizations. Dr. Wickstrom currently maintains a small private practice in North Carolina as a psychologist serving missions and missionaries based on sound psychological principles integrated with the truths of Scripture as found in the Bible.
