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?
 Born between 1981 and 2000
 Special
 Sheltered
 Confident
 Team-Oriented
 Achieving
 Pressured
 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?
 Development is continuous
 Development is a process, not a state
 Development has order
 Development moves from general to specific and from simple to
more complex
 Development has characteristics associated with specific age
level.
 Both heredity and the environment influence development
 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……