Sixty doctoral students aged 37-48 completed the Sentence Completion Test and a personal orientation inventory. Results indicated that they experienced significant personal growth and greater intrinsic locus of control at schools with nonauthoritarian environments emphasizing support, trust, respect, and self-directed learning. Exposure to a level…

Men and women (N=60) who had begun doctoral studies between ages of 37 and 48, half in traditional and half in self-directed learning (SDL) programs, completed 2 questionnaires. Significant ego development was found in the nonauthoritarian SDL environments, which were challenging and nurturing and fostered content mastery, skill acquisition, and…