Student Development Theory 101
A guide to understanding your student’s changes through
college
Your student is bound to go through some noticeable changes during college. By
understanding these following student development theories, you will find it much
easier to understand your student and to gain the tools necessary for supporting
him/her through his/her individual journey. Since college is unique for every
student, it is important to use these theories only as a guide, not as fact, and to
remember that each individual will transition through college and life differently.
Student Development Theories
Student development theories are placed into broad categories, each representing a
different view of the college student. Three categories are explained below:
Person-Environment Theories: Examines the interaction between the student
and the environment.
Psychosocial Theories: Examines individuals’ personal and interpersonal lives.
Psychosocial development is most often a sequence of developmental tasks or
stages which change a person’s thinking when relating to others and oneself.
Cognitive-Structural Theories: Focuses on the intellectual development of
students – how they think, reason, and make meaning of their lives. It addresses a
sequence of meaning-making structures through which students perceive, organize,
and make sense of their experiences. The stages are hierarchical and each
successive stage incorporates and builds on previous stages.
Typology Theory: Examines individual differences in how people view and relate
to the world.
Astin’s Theory of Involvement
Astin stressed the role of student involvement in development and defined
involvement as “the amount of physical and psychological energy that the student
devotes to the academic experience.” He also believed that involvement is based on
student behavior and actions rather than feelings or thoughts. Astin’s theory has
five postulates:
1. Involvement refers to the investment of physical and psychological energy in
various objects.
2. Involvement occurs along a continuum.
3. Involvement has both quantitative and qualitative features.
4. The amount of student learning and personal development associated with
any educational program is directly proportional to the quality and quantity
of student involvement in that program.
5. The effectiveness of any educational policy or practice is directly related to
the capacity of that policy or practice to increase student involvement.
In other words, the more a student is involved, the more likely he/she will feel
connected to his/her environment (university) and the more likely learning and
growth will take place.
Chickering’s Theory of Identity Development
Chickering’s theory of identity development consists of seven vectors created to
examine the psychosocial development of students during their time in college.
Chickering stated that the vectors build on each other, but acknowledged that
students’ development within the theory is not always rigid and sequential. He also
explained that students move through the vectors at their own pace, that vectors
correlate with each other, and that at times, students may have to re-visit vectors
when dealing with an issue.
The Seven Vectors are:
1. Developing Competence: The sense that one can deal and cope with the
challenges that life presents. This includes focus on the development of basic
skills in the intellectual, interpersonal, and physical areas.
2. Managing Emotions: The ability to recognize and accept emotions and
learn how to appropriately express and control them.
3. Moving Through Autonomy Toward Interdependence: The increase in
emotional and developmental independence. There is less of a need for the
approval by others as well as more self-direction and problem-solving
abilities. But there is also an awareness of the interconnectedness that
people have on one’s life.
4. Developing Mature Interpersonal Relationships: The capacity to accept
people without judgment, while respecting differences and recognizing
commonalities. This includes the skill to work with people of all backgrounds.
5. Establishing Identity: The ability to be comfortable with one’s self in such
areas as body image, appearance, gender and sexual orientation, culture,
heritage, lifestyle, and personality.
6. Developing Purpose: The realization of one’s vocational goals and the
ability to make meaningful choices, specific to personal interests. This
includes being able to commit to a decision even if there is opposition.
7. Developing Integrity: The progression of a student’s thinking from rigid
and narrow to encompassing a greater flexibility. The student determines
which values and beliefs he/she will use as a guide to establish which values
and beliefs to uphold.
Perry’s Theory of Intellectual and Ethical Development
Perry’s theory consists of nine positions created to examine the cognitive
development of individuals as they transition from a simplistic to a more complex
and constructed manner of thinking. The positions are:
1. Dualism (positions 1-2): Learning is based on absolute truths. The learner
believes there is always a right or wrong answer and receives the answer
from the Authority (often times a professor or parent). The learner does not
question the Authority nor does he/she find value in listening to peers for
answers.
2. Multiplicity (positions 3-4): The learner is more independent in his/her
way of thinking. He/she will listen to other views when answers are not yet
known but he/she still believes ideas are better or worse and that eventually
there will be a right answer.
3. Relativism (positions 5-6): The learner understands that authorities offer
knowledge, but they are not the only ones with the answer. Individuals in
these positions are able to analyze others’ ideas as well as their own and see
value in supporting arguments
4. Commitment to relativism (positions 7-9): The learner commits to a
point of view, thereby defining personal choices and establishing an identity.
These individuals determine their beliefs and values and commit to these
choices, but are still able to respect people who have different values than
their own.
Kohlberg’s Theory of Moral Development
Kohlberg’s theory of moral development is another cognitive-development theory
that focuses on how and why people make moral judgments. Kohlberg based much
of his theory around justice, believing that people resolve moral dilemmas by
determining what is fair and just. He also labeled his theory as a ‘hard’ stage
model, asserting that individuals will be consistent in their thinking regardless of
the situation. Kohlberg believed that exposure to a more complex thinking stage
will contribute to growth and encourage a person to move to the next level of moral
development. The theory consists of “three levels of moral thought, with each level
having two stages (six stages total).”
Level I: Preconventional - Assumes that the individual does not understand
societal rules and is mainly concerned with the needs of the individual.
Stage 1: Heteronomous Morality. At this stage the individual obeys rules in
order to avoid punishment.
Stage 2: Individualistic, Instrumental Morality. The individual follows the
rules only if it is in his or her best interest.
Level II: Conventional - Conforms to societal expectations and being concerned
with how an individual appears to other people.
Stage 3: Interpersonally Normative Morality. The individual maintains a good
image and gaining the approval of others is the foundation of moral reasoning.
Stage 4: Social System Morality. The individual defines morality as obedience
to societal laws and fulfillment of an individual’s obligations as agreed upon by
those laws.
Level III: Postconventional or Principled - Individuals basing decisions on their
own interpretation of right and wrong by critically thinking about rules and
expectations of others.
Stage 5: Human Rights and Social Welfare Morality. Moral reasoning is based
on the individual’s evaluation of the rightness of laws and social systems by
determining if the rules/laws promote human rights and values.
Stage 6: Morality of Universizable, Reversible, and Prescriptive General
Ethical Principles. Morality is determined by considering all points of view of all
people involved with the situation with the final decision based on the human rights
and respect of other people. According to Kohlberg, this stage is extremely difficult
to reach so do not be surprised if you do not know anybody who fits this
description.
Holland’s Theory of Vocational Personalities and
Environments
Holland’s typology theory focuses on personality types that are defined by specific
interests, behaviors, and attitudes. Holland proposed that to a varying degree,
people resemble each of the six personality types, but certain types are more
prevalent than others within each individual. Individuals with a strong prevalence of
one particular personality type will likely seek out opportunities to utilize this type
and to be around similar people. While in college, students often have the
opportunity to take the Holland test. The results can give the students awareness of
their personality type, which in turn can help them clarify their career goals. This
theory can be useful to students, but they should not rely only on this one
theory/tool because it could limit students to pursuing an area of study that may
not actually be of interest to them. It should be used only as a tool, not as a fact.
The six personality types are:
Realistic: People that are interested in working with tools, machines, and animals.
Usually work in technical, agricultural, and mechanical professions. Money, power,
and status are likely to be more valued. These people are characterized as being
practical, inflexible, and less involved.
Investigative: People that prefer designing and want to understand the world.
They are competent in scientific and mathematical areas and are often analytical,
precise, reserved, and cautious. Usually work in professions such as engineering
and the sciences.
Artistic: People that prefer spontaneous, creative, unregulated activities that
allows the freedom of expression. They are competent in areas such as language,
art, music, drama, and writing and value aesthetic qualities. They tend to be more
emotional, original, imaginative, and impulsive.
Social: People that prefer working with others in areas such as education,
customer service, counseling, and life coaching. They have strong interpersonal
skills and value helping others and participating in social activities. They are
described as friendly, cooperative, helpful, and empathetic.
Enterprising: People that prefer working with other people as part of an
organization that produces outcomes. They are competent in leadership and
persuasion and value political and economical achievement. They are described as
extraverted, self-confident, talkative, adventurous, and domineering and work in
such fields as business and politics.
Conventional: People that prefer working with data and like structure. They are
competent at clerical and computational tasks and value monetary and business
achievement. Usually work in such fields as accounting, banking, and data entry.
They are typically described as conforming, efficient, inflexible, and practical.
Final words…
These are just a few student development theories and we encourage you to learn
more by checking out other resources, such as those listed below. Having a general
knowledge of theory can help you to understand and prepare for the changes your
student may face while in college. We all want our students to be successful and we
hope that their time in college will prepare them to be well-educated, responsible,
caring individuals, who will in turn make the world a better place.
Sources Cited
Evans, N.J., Forney, D.S., & Guido-DiBrito, F., (1998). Student Development In
College: Theory, Research, and Practice. (1st ed.). San Francisco: JosseyBass.
Other resources
Barkin, C., (1999). When Your Kid Goes To College, A Parent’s Survival Guide. New
York: Avon Books.
Coburn, K.L., & Treeger, M.L., (1997). Letting Go, A Parents’ Guide to
Understanding the College Years. New York: HarperCollins.
Johnson, H.E., & Schelhas-Miller, C., (2000). Don’t Tell Me What to Do, Just Send
Money, The Essential Parenting Guide to the College Years. New York:
Doonesbury.