Annual interviews with 228 students at 6 diverse campuses in the Wabash National Study of Liberal Arts Education reveal 123 students' developmental growth away from authority dependence between the beginning of the first and second years of college. In the first year of college, 86% of participants relied solely on external authorities to define…

Self-definition plays a crucial role in complex learning. This article offers a framework for making identity central in learning to promote learning and self-authorship. Four examples of this framework in multicultural education, community development, academic advising, and teaching offer student affairs educators a foundation for leading…

Explores the evolution of the relationship between researcher and participants in longitudinal, constructivist studies. Issues inherent in this evolving relationship are examined and the authors illustrate how the resolution of these issues influences the researcher. Asserts that the lessons learned can be applied to practice and advocate using a…

The Measure of Epistemological Reflection was revised to reflect a constructivist view of epistemological development that emerged from a longitudinal study of young adults' development. This article includes a description of the new constructivist interpretation process, how it is used, and criteria upon which to judge its value. (Contains 44…

Proposes an integrated perspective on student learning and personal development by viewing the cognitive and affective dimensions of development as related parts of one process. Suggests that this perspective will provide college students with a successful educational experience by increasing cognitive understanding, sense of self, personal…

In a study of 151 college freshmen of both sexes, cognitive complexity and learning orientation revealed gender-related qualitative differences within parallel cognitive structures. Different cognitive structures were accompanied by different learning orientations. (Author/TE)

Conducted four-year longitudinal study of college students' intellectual development during college in which students reported the impact of their cocurricular experiences. Findings from 101 students revealed that students' peer relationships, organizational involvement, living arrangements, employment, and exchange experiences contributed to…

Data were analyzed from the postcollege phase of a 7-year longitudinal study of college students' (n=101) epistemological development. The data revealed that the gender-related patterns of relational and impersonal knowing that these students demonstrated during college were integrated into postcollege experience in work, education, and personal…

Examined whether gender differences exist within cognitive stages and whether gender differences exist at the cognitive stage level in college freshmen (n=86). Longitudinal study found students' epistemological development revealed gender differences in epistemological reasoning structures but not in cognitive structural stages. (Author/ABL)