This chapter presents the need for the journey of self-authorship and an overview of key concepts and terms explored in this volume.

The relationship between transfer student interaction with faculty and intellectual growth is examined. The quality of the faculty-student relationship, both inside and outside the classroom, was significantly and positively related to two measures of self-perceived intellectual growth. (Author/MLW)

Parents and teachers help children develop their intelligence by mediating their learning experiences. When children seek such mediation by asking questions, parents and teachers can use one of seven responses. The single most helpful response is to take children's questions seriously and turn them into golden thinking and learning opportunities.…

The applicability of Tinto's model of retention for first-year students attending church-related colleges and universities is examined. Data collected from entering freshmen at two Midwestern Seventh-day Adventist colleges were used to replicate studies of Tinto's model done in other settings. Based on Tinto's model, indicators of academic and…

The role of faculty in student development is considered. The history of the student development movement from the Colonial period to the twentieth century and major student development theories are also reviewed. Important objectives of contemporary student development are identified: to promote students' intellectual and individual development;…