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…

Emphasizes usefulness of human development programs (HDP) for helping college students to complete their developmental tasks. The main forms of HDP are sketched. An HDP believed to be effective for college students is described. (Author/CC)

Both as a method of measurement and as a theoretical hypothesis, syntactic maturity (SM) has profoundly affected thinking about verbal growth and ways to enhance that growth. On the positive side, SM is easy to use, requiring no elaborate training in grammar or statistics, and it is quantifiable providing an objective numerical index of…

Originally published in March/April 1996, advances an integrated perspective on learning and personal development by viewing the cognitive and affective dimensions of development as related parts of one process. Proposes that from this integrated perspective, a successful educational experience simultaneously increases cognitive understanding and…

A review of the literature suggests that African-American and minority students bring a diverse culture to "traditional" college life. As a result, many institutions of higher learning have designed their student services, student-support programs, curricular, and extracurricular to meet the special nature and needs of its nontraditional…

This review offers a theoretical reformulation of student development useful for policy and research and critically assesses four bodies of theory for developmental models addressing the family, the individual, complex organizations, and the interaction between the individual and the environment, respectively. In each category several models are…

Advances in theory and practice make it possible to measure moral reasoning empirically and offer college-level educational programs enhancing moral understanding. Bases for these advances are reviewed, a longitudinal study and curriculum development effort is described, and the next research frontier, the relationship of moral reasoning to moral…

What is racism? A thematic analysis of seventeen narrative accounts in this issue of personal experiences with racism is reported. Specific themes are discussed within conceptual categories of systematic oppression, grieving, awakening of critical consciousness, coping mechanisms, and power. Racism is deconstructed through these stories; new paths…

Personality theory stresses the importance of communion with self to personal development. Since writing is a form of communion with self, researchers have begun looking for measurable differences in the personality development of writers and nonwriters. Several experiments have tended to confirm that writing has the potential to effect positive…

Explores ways that higher education can reintegrate cognitive learning and personal development. Discusses a developmental conceptualization of learning and outlines strategies that help students connect learning in college to their lives. Provides both curricular and cocurricular examples and stresses the importance of a shared vision of…

The role of the mentor is traced in the literature of adult developmental psychology. Four primary elements of that role are: pointing the way at a developmental crossroad, offering material and/or emotional support, challenging, and letting go at the appropriate time. (MSE)

Adolescents need to develop a positive sense of belonging, of competence and of self-worth. Clothing is a silent but powerful language. Adolescents use clothing to help them cope with changes. Clothing functions in a positive way in the transition period from childhood to adulthood. (Author/BEF)

Student development philosophy, based solely on the behavioral sciences and a romantic humanistic philosophy, is not adequate for meeting human needs in contemporary society. The concepts of holism, humanism, pragmatism, and individualism are all part of this student development philosophy but have been distorted. The literature on student…

This paper analyzes educational trends in Catholic high schools in the 1970s. A discussion of the religious aspects of Catholic school education includes spiritual development of the individual, emphasis on the social justice side of a Christian vocation, faculty responsibility for religious formation, and systematic planning to address the…

Evaluates several theories and models for their ability to incorporate developmental issues of African-American male students. Details Africentric approaches that provide useful models for the development of programs for African-American men on campus. Presents suggestions for interventions and activities to enhance matriculation, academic…