Bringin’ Theory Back…..WHAT?!?! Tim Leyson First Year Advisor EDL 377 Instructor Fall 2011

Before we start…..  Please ask me questions.  The only stupid question is the one not asked  I will not cram theory down your throat, but we will learn the classic theories of Student Development  Open your minds and use your critical/practical thinking skills  Use “I” statements when talking about your own experiences  As your instructor, I do not expect you to just simply memorize these theories but rather think about the practical applications of learning them in EDL 301 and the RA position.

The Residence Hall Environment  Students come in various shapes, sizes, colors, and walks of life.  Our students face a great amount of academic pressure to constantly succeed academically.  Issues of sharing a room with another person.

Who are you? BBorn between 1981 and 2000 SSpecial SSheltered CConfident TTeam-Oriented AAchieving PPressured CConventional

Definition of Development The growth and developmental process of the student so that the university can fulfill its mission of educating the whole person, while attending to individual differences and, at the same time, working with the students at their own individual level.

Why do we talk about student development? DDevelopment is continuous DDevelopment is a process, not a state DDevelopment has order DDevelopment moves from general to specific and from simple to more complex DDevelopment has characteristics associated with specific age level. BBoth heredity and the environment influence development DDevelopment occurs in the context of interactions between the individual and the environment, rather than through internal processes of maturation alone.

Student Development and the RA position  As RA’s you have the most contact with any student than any other professor or administrator.  As RA’s you are also developing your own skills and identity.  As RA’s you need to be very intentional about how your program, approach, and interact with your resident.  You look at your community and decide your leadership style: coach, dictator, and director.  Being developmental does mean you have to remember every single theory word for word

Vector’s, lines, sequences…who gives a (insert you own explicative)?!?!?!?!??!  Chickering’s Theory of Psychosocial Development  Perry’s Theory of Cognitive Development  Khohlberg’s Moral Development  Gilligan’s Theory of Moral Development for Women  Schlossberg’s Transition Theory  Baxter-Magolda Theory of Self-Authorship

Chickering Theory of Identity Development  What the hell is a vector?  A theme or a recurring issue that tends to drive growth and development in the personality.  Seven Vectors  Developing competence  Managing emotions  Moving through autonomy toward interdependence  Developing mature interpersonal relationships  Establishing Identity  Developing purpose  Developing integrity

Perry’s Theory of Cognitive Development  Interested in how the reasoning of students changed as a result of their exposure to the classroom learning situation and the college environment  Three Major stages with three major positions within each stage  Dualism  Relativism  Commitment to relativism

Kohlberg Theory of Moral Development  Wanted to examine the moral reasoning development as college students progress through the collegiate experience  Three Levels  Preconventional  Conventional  Postconventional

Gilligan’s Theory of Moral Development of Women  Women make moral judgments differently than described in Kohlberg’s theory  Focus on caring & relationships Level One: Orientation to Personal Survival Transition One: Transition from Personal Selfishness to Responsibility Level Two: Goodness and Self-Sacrifice Transition Two: From Goodness to Reality Level Three: The Morality of Non-violent Responsibility

Schlossberg’s Transition Theory  What is a considered a transition?  Any non-event, that results in changed relationships, routines, assumptions, and roles  Meaning of Transitions is based on  Type: anticipated, unanticipated, nonevent  Context: relationship to transition and the setting  Impact: alterations in daily life  Transition Process- Moving In, Moving Through, and Moving Out  The 4 S’s  Situation  Self  Support  Strategies

Baxter Magolda Theory of Self-Authorship  Understanding of the inner “voice” students possess as a result of mastering the concept of “knowing” themselves  “Knowing” is referred to as the understanding of the development of self-identity through one’s own experiences.  Four Stages  Absolute Knowing  Transitional Knowing  Independent Knowing  Contextual Knowing

Leadership and RA’s  Student + Leader= Student Leader  Leadership styles  Do you know your leadership style?  What are the differences between a coach, dictator, and mentor? How are they different? Similar?

Diversity, social justice, and you  Many of the theories examined have primarily been studied on Caucasian males that were in college.  Issues relating to diversity, social justice, and multicultural competence are becoming more evident.  The world around you continually changes

Connecting this to the RA position……