This article explores students' experiences of intellectual, social, and emotional growth during the first year at university and the extent to which these experiences can be considered transformative (Mezirow, 1981). The study is a qualitative interpretive multiple-case study built on semi-structured interviews with students in two higher…

There has been a significant change in the cultural zeitgeist as of late. It has been especially noticeable in the academy over the past several years with the discipline of social work being no exception. In this essay, I will situate myself in a vulnerable position and will write about my disillusionment in the discipline I was proud to join a…

A study investigated the extent to which 210 college students' learning orientations were shaped independently and jointly by their academic and nonacademic experiences. Findings indicated that the two kinds of experience each made statistically significant and unique contributions to gains in intellectual orientation after controlling for…

Outlines a four-stage developmental process (exhilaration, rejection, integration, and transformation) through which college students learn to apply experiential education theories to their practices as staff interns in an adventure education program for children. Discusses implications for intern supervision and the design of internship programs.…

A study with 101 college freshmen indicates that freshman experience promotes increasing intellectual complexity for both sexes, but more for males than females. Analysis of student expectations and perceptions of environments shows subtle differences that may account for differential growth, suggesting some approaches to creating equitable…

In response to an emerging anti-intellectualism on campus, Saint Lawrence University (New York) instituted an interdisciplinary first-year course built around themes of community and identity. The effort is designed to stimulate intellectual development, bring faculty and students into closer contact, and blend academics and student life. (MSE)

Many graduate students lack the capacity for self-authorship, the ability to develop one's own perspective. Data from a longitudinal study of sixteen students, begun in their first year of college, illustrates the difficulty of moving from embracing multiple perspectives to constructing self-authored perspectives. The stories of three graduate…

An interview with David Riesman, founder of Harvard University's (Massachusetts) freshman seminar program, covers the origins and structure of the seminars, Riesman's own college experience, the importance of the college experience, faculty research, and the role of faculty in student intellectual development. (MSE)

Substantive and methodological problems encountered in a five-year synthesis of research on college impact are discussed, including general issues in higher education research and scholarship, relevance of assessments of student change, unnoticed indirect effects of college experience, inattention to individual differences, validity of common…

A study examined the impact of prejudice and discrimination at 18 institutions on the adjustment of 1,454 students to college. Results indicate perceived discriminatory behavior negatively affected minority-student academic/intellectual development, social experiences, and institutional commitment. Although differential effects were noted for…

A study investigated graduate and professional educational experiences that promote contextual knowing. Seventy students described these experiences as opportunities to struggle with ideas and formulate their own opinions, connect their beliefs to their own lives, use experiences in the learning process, engage in learning as equal partners with…

This study examined the influence of background characteristics, disciplinary differences, institutional context, academic library experiences, and the perceptions of the college environment on the estimated gains of critical thinking skills in undergraduate students (N=9,361). The study used data from a national, cross-sectional survey completed…

A longitudinal study of 101 college students investigated the ways in which their college and postcollege experiences fostered development of complexity in their assumptions about knowledge, by emphasizing independent functioning, collaboration, direct involvement in learning, and subjective decisionmaking. Results suggest these experiences be…

The effect of student-faculty interaction on student outcomes after four years was examined within the context of a causal model adapted from a general college impact model. This model includes three sets of variables: students' background characteristics, four aspects of student-faculty interaction, and four categopies of outcomes. The four…

This study, done at Syracuse University in 1975, investigated the multidimensional differences in freshman perceptions and experience of the academic and non-academic aspects of college associated with varying amounts of informal contact with faculty. Discriminant analysis indicated that factor dimensions, termed Interest Value, Practical Appeal…