No description available.

No description available.

Universities are increasingly applying student developmental theories in a variety of contexts in order to better understand students and to accomplish institutional educational objectives. Robert Kegan's constructive-developmental theory has been utilized in the creation of the Community Standards Model, a program designed for use in university residence halls. The purpose of the Model is to promote student development from Kegan's third order of consciousness, in which student identity is based on a fusion of their peers' expectations and ideas, to the fourth order of consciousness, in which one becomes the author of his or her own values, beliefs, and ideals. The Community Standards Model has been in place in Brigham Young University-Provo residence halls since 2000, yet no studies have been done to determine its effects. The present study examined the development of student self-authored identity as it occurred during the implementation of the Community Standards Model at BYU-Provo. The Student Developmental Task and Lifestyle Inventory was used to evaluate student development across three general developmental tasks. Two populations were sampled: students at BYU-Provo residence halls, where the Model was practiced, and students from BYU-Idaho residence halls, where the Model was not practiced. Students were tested at the beginning and at the end of the 2004-2005 academic school year. Split plot ANOVAs were conducted and no significant interactions were found for any of the three task scores. This study did not detect any significant differential effects with regard to student developmental task achievement that could be attributed to the Community Standards Model. Study results indicated that the Community Standards Model may not fit well at BYU. Many reasons exist as to why the Model may not promote student self-authored identity at BYU, including a mismatch between the Model's emphasis on self-determination of values and ideals and the institution's imposition of certain behavioral and belief standards. However, the Model may have beneficial effects in other areas, such as the development of community. Further research is needed to more fully understand which effects, if any, the Community Standards Model is having at BYU.

No description available.

No description available.

Traditionally, in our globally diverse and intertwined society, study abroad has served as a valuable, enriching, and life-changing aspect of college and university offerings and opportunities for students. Today, the lives of post-study abroad students will be defined by the ways they make sense of unexpected major events surrounding the history-changing COVID-19 pandemic and the contemporary protests against racism and social injustice. A large body of research exists on study abroad, culture shock, self-authorship, provocative moments, cross-cultural reentry, and reverse culture shock. A lack of research exists on what ways post-study abroad U.S. students make meaning of their experiences in emerging self-authorship, and research on post-study abroad students and the COVID-19 pandemic is rare. The overarching purpose of this exploratory inquiry was to describe in what ways, if any, that the post-study abroad experience facilitates the development of emerging self-authorship of U.S. college students. Self-authorship provided the theoretical framework for this inquiry. Clarke and Braun’s reflexive thematic analysis was used to analyze the interviews and journals of two U.S. post-study abroad college students. The findings revealed that the post-study abroad experience facilitated the development of emerging self-authorship of U.S. college students through the themes of pain, partnerships, and perspective, with grief layered among each of these themes. The students eventually accepted their realities of post-study abroad, found meaning, and showed signs of nudging ahead in emerging self-authorship. The implications from this inquiry provided ways for stakeholders to support students through their post-study abroad experiences and support emerging self-authorship.

No description available.

No description available.

No description available.

While the number of individuals in the United States between the ages of 25-44 with a bachelor’s degree has been increasing, so too has the number of individuals who have started college and dropped out. Higher education has numerous societal and individual benefits that are not being actualized because there are simply not enough individuals with bachelor’s degrees in this country. Nontraditional students (NTS) are entering higher education at increasing rates but at higher risk for drop-out; therefore, it is essential to learn more about this population to improve their rates of persistence. This study examines the life experiences of 35 NTS accepted to a bachelor’s degree program in a college of continuing education. This is a bounded case study of a specific group of students that utilized a content analysis of their application essays to understand their sentiments when (re)entering higher education. Themes stemming from the research questions, essay prompt, and theoretical lens were explored but allowed for others to emerge as well. Applicants shared many personal life experiences that contributed to their goals and motivations for achieving a bachelor's degree. Ambitions for earning a bachelor’s degree were spread across the personal and professional realms, including both intrinsic and extrinsic motivations. Most applicants had previously attended college prior to applying to CCE while two were applying to college for the first time. Twenty-one of the 35 applicants demonstrated a clear progression to self-authorship. This study has numerous implications for practice for admissions and various student support departments on campus. Through the collaboration of these offices, institutions can create a continuity of care surrounding these students and champion them to a degree. / Educational Administration