This study, with 228 freshmen at the University of Hartford (Connecticut), found significant intellectual growth (especially in movement away from dualistic thinking) in most students over the year, with the amount of growth related to the number of completed interdisciplinary general education courses, which were specifically designed to promote…

Examined level of faculty support and professional development reported by African-American students (n=182). Mentoring was found to be a significant predictor of student development. One-third of the sample reported receiving no help from faculty and staff at the university or from professionals in the community. (Author/NB)

Finds that oral retelling of stories (as an instructional procedure with language learning-disabled students) is most effective in a one-to-one context with the teacher as audience. Finds students' oral retelling abilities inconsistent with regard to age. (SR)

Examines the relationship between the development of authority and the voice in which it is expressed in ethnographic writing. Argues that ethnographic research provides a way of helping students gain the authority that comes from the inquiry process. (FMW)

Three major ways that mentors influence their proteges are by heightening anticipation, deepening expectations, and helping proteges keep their creativity going. The role of mentor relationships is to find and highlight what makes the protege special and valuable and to facilitate the expression of this essence and the actualization of the…

Examined whether underprepared students participating in self-awareness course during their first quarter of college would show significant growth along developmental tasks as measured by Student Developmental Task Inventory. Findings from 83 underprepared first-year students enrolled in developmental education program suggest that participation…

American schools often fail to provide opportunities for students at the highest levels of ability to test their ceilings of performance in a given talent area. Gifted education provides an essential voice addressing the importance of recognizing and developing "apex talent" and genuine "excellence" in American education.…

Participants in the Cornell Cooperative Extension 4-H Youth Development Program ranked concept maps of the meaning of the program's new vision and mapped their own perceptions. Differing perspectives were refined into a shared vision and highlighted the need for understanding client characteristics and the social climate of the program. (SK)

Used multiple measures with nine supervisors-in-training to explore supervisor development. In terms of content of thoughts in response to particular vignette, participants' thoughts were primarily neutral, suggesting they were able to be nonjudgmental and objective. Participants seemed particularly challenged by situations that required…

Study of Greek-letter social group members (n=321) at midwestern university found significant correlations between members' levels of involvement and their psychosocial development as measured by Student Development Task and Lifestyle Inventory. Differences in the relationship between involvement and psychosocial development were established by…

Reviews strengths and weaknesses of value-added model of outcomes assessment in higher education. Explores important measurement issues that student development specialists who are currently involved in assessment may confront. Makes recommendations for researchers choosing the value-added outcomes assessment model. (NB)

Provides convergent evidence of a developmental sequence in kindergartners' emerging knowledge of word: beginning consonant knowledge facilitates a child's concept of word in text, which in turn facilitates phoneme segmentation, which in turn facilitates word recognition. (SR)

Provides review of current literature to support position that academic dishonesty is student development problem best addressed from student development perspective. Examines academic dishonesty as contemporary problem in higher education; explores contentions about what causes academic dishonesty; addresses student development perspective; and…

This paper discusses links among the process of creativity, symbolization, and learning. The importance of symbolization in thinking, in school learning, in child development, and in the behavior of creative learners is stressed. (DB)

Compared freshman, sophomore, junior, and senior majors in the same academic discipline for differences in My Vocational Situation (MVS) scores. The MVS was effective in measuring developmental changes in vocational identity and perceived need for occupational information among the students. Women reported higher occupational information needs…