Student development theory has been an important guide in practice; however, few theories focus on both the individual and the influence of the environment. Spencer's (1997) Phenomenological Variant of Ecological Systems Theory (PVEST) examines the individual, the environment, and the role of environmental feedback on self-perceptions, with a…

The success of educational systems in shaping youth into citizens capable of facing global, national, and personal challenges has been associated with students' ability to develop human values and competencies. This study, therefore, maps the extent to which key human values associated with the three levels of consciousness--namely,…

This rejoinder to Patrick Love's article, "Informal Theory: The Ignored Link in Theory-to-Practice," which appears earlier in this issue of the "Journal of College Student Development", was written at the invitation of the Editor. In the critique, we point out the weaknesses of many of Love's arguments and propositions. We provide an alternative…

This study explored factors associated with both career and student development, and with persistence decisions. Findings revealed differences in which students perceived their abilities, responsibilities, adaptability, and connections between academics and vocation among those at a liberal arts college who intended to return to the institution…

As college and university professionals prepare for the 21st century they need to be cognizant of the student population they will be serving and how to maximize educational and developmental opportunities. No one theory adequately provides a comprehensive explanation of the processes that manifest themselves during the college experience. All…

Investigated the metacognitive development of a group of students in a course aiming to develop deep approaches and conceptual understanding. Found considerable diversity in the approaches used by students, and also in the degrees to which those not initially using a conceptual (deep) approach were able to develop this approach. (EV)

This longitudinal study examined the question of change and stability in students' used learning strategies during the first 2 years of study at the university. A total of 188 students from Tilburg University in the Netherlands took part in the study, including 90 in law, 27 in art, 48 in economics, and 23 in the social sciences. The students…

Two distinct anxiety factors, labeled trait anxiety and state anxiety, were identified. The trait anxiety factor was interpreted as measuring stable individual differences while the state anxiety factor defined a transitory state of the organism that varied over time. A trait-state conception of anxiety was then proposed that specified the…

Emotional quality of university students is a major concern for university authorities, parents and the society in general. In the recent past many unethical and violent incidences have happened in our universities. Students selected to Universities are intellectually smarter than the students admitted a decade ago, yet performance, behavior and…

Outlines a conceptual framework, the Reflective Judgement model, which describes predictable differences in the intellectual development of college students. Validation attempts are discussed, and applications leading to sound counseling and educational interventions are suggested. The model is illustrated with an example of a classroom assignment…

Yearly interviews investigated 101 college students' perceptions of their experiences throughout the 4 years of college as they related to 3 different epistemologies ranging from unquestioned acceptance of knowledge to self-authored knowledge and to gender differences within these epistemologies. Results suggest teaching strategies and evaluation…

It has been hypothesized that college students develop differently in various areas of experience, that they learn to deal with interpersonal relationships early in their college experience, but that they may not have time to develop leisure interests. Instruments designed to assess growth on three of Chickering's student development vectors…

A number of studies have differentiated between counseled and non-counseled students on a variety of instruments. College freshmen (N=48) who had been counseled for personal problems were compared with 48 non-counseled students on results from the Strong-Campbell Interest Inventory (SCII). Results showed that counseled students achieved…

Observed English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) writing classes in Canada in order to document what the ESL instructors do when they teach. Findings reveal that the instructors gave more attention to collectively constructing language paradigms and to guiding individual development than other routines, and attracted student's attention in one way or…

A distinguishing feature of teaching and learning in traditional aboriginal cultures such as that of Native Americans is respect for the learner's unique way of knowing. Such practices complement the feminist perspective of education and are appropriate for faculty mentors of women college students. (MSE)