Intro slide: Welcome o Name o Intro o Why we are here Purpose of this presentation o I will be giving a presentation on the

e developmental changes that students experience from their freshman year to their senior year. o I will also be touching on how the residence life program attempts to support and challenge students as they move from year to year The 4 years of college at the undergraduate level are considered by many to be the best years of your life. However, ask any student on any college campus across the country, and they will probably say that it is the most stressful time of their life. Each year being more stressful than the last. As the years progress, a certain level of maturity comes into effect and students will hopefully be able to deal with their everyday stresses more easily. Their ability to mature and function under their everyday stresses is reflective of their individual developmental process that they undergo in the college experience. You might be asking me what is the developmental process of college students There are many theories out there on the developmental processes that students undergo, however in my research I have come across one that I feel is the most relavent and pertinent to the lives of college students With that we turn to

Arthur Chickering Educational Researcher in the field of Student Affairs Currently works at Goddard College as a special assistant to the president of the college Best known for his developed the theory of the Seven Vectors of Development Chickering believes that each of the 7 vectors/stages is experienced by a student, but not always at the same time. It is more of a at your own speed type of thing. The 7 vectors are based on his belief that establishing ones identity is the core developmental issue with which students grapple during the college years.

Vectors of Development The 7 vectors can best be described as a major highways for journeying toward individuation

Chickering understood the student developmental process as each student having direction and magnitude- even though the direction may be expressed more appropriately as a spiral or by steps rather than by a straight line. And thus based his 7 Vectors theory around this Vectors can interact with other vectors And often times students even find themselves reexamining issues associated with vectors they had previously worked through Vectors can easily be described as building blocks- which become more complicated as each individual vector is addressed Math example Emotional, interpersonal, ethical, and intellectual aspects of development are taken into account Now I am going to go into a brief synopsis of the 7 vectors

Vector 1: Developing Competence: Usually described in a manner similar to that of a pitchfork in which each tine and the individual handle represent a portion of this stage of development o Tine1- intellectual competence Which is associated with the acquisition of knowledge and skills related to particular subject matter along with the Development of intellectual, cultural, and aesthetic sophistication Which are signs of an increase in critical thinking and reasoning ability o Tine2- physical and manual skills Which is associated with athletic and recreational activities along with involvement in artistic activities Attention to wellness and ones personal well being o Tine3- interpersonal competence Which show cases signs of strong communication, leadership skills along with the ability to work effectively with others. and finally the o Handle- sense of competence- stems from the confidence that one can cope with and deal with whatever comes their way and achieve goals successfully

Vector 2: Managing Emotions:

This vector represents the ability to recognize and accept emotions Along with appropriately express and control them Another thing unique about this developmental theory is that Chickering addresses a more inclusive range of feelings including anxiety, depression, anger, shame, and guilt o Positive ones as well- caring, optimism, and inspiration

Vector 3: Moving Through Autonomy Toward Interdependence: Signs of increased emotional independence are shown in this vector o Chickering feels that in this vector students are no longer looking for the continual reassurance, affection, or approval from others. Students in this stage of development exhibit a sense of self-direction, problem-solving ability, and mobility. They also recognize the importance of interdependence as an awareness of their interconnectedness with others o Chickering places a great emphasis on this on this vector because he views it as one of the most important stages of development for a college student.

Vector 4: Developing Mature Interpersonal Relationships: The experience students get with relationships contribute significantly to the development of a sense of self Both-accepting individuals for who they are and respecting differences are a major feature of this vector.

Vector 5 Establishing Identity: Chickerings reference to identity is referring to comfort with ones body and appearance This also means developing o Comfort with gender and sexual orientation o Sense of ones social and cultural heritage o Clear self-concept/comfort with ones roles and lifestyle o Clear sense of self- in light of feedback from significant others o Self-acceptance+ self-esteem o Personal Stability and integration

Vector 6 Developing Purpose

Clear lifetime career goals are set by the individual student The establishment of meaningful commitments to specific personal interests and activities along with Strong interpersonal commitments is established Allowing oneself to intentionally make and stay with decisions, even in the face of opposition is one of the most important aspects of this vector. Often times lifestyle and family influences affect the decision-making and goal-setting processes involved in developing purpose however.

Vector 7 Developing Integrity which is made up of 3 sequential but overlapping stages o Humanizing values-others values are balanced with ones own value set and interests o Personalizing values- where individual values are established and o Developing congruence- where ones values are balanced with a sense of social responsibility and how it fits with ones life and their role in soceity

Now with Chickerings 7 vectors, he recognized that there are many outside influences that affect development On the screen there are a few examples: Now saying that these factors affect development doesnt necessarily imply a negative connotation. For example key environmental factors that should be stressed that are conducive to a healthy living environment are faculty/student relationships, active learning, and collaboration with other students. These positive environmental factors have become goals of residence life programs across the country. These factors can even allow for students to move more easily through the developmental process. Validity of Theory: Now one of the major criticisms of Chickerings theories is that they are very broad and do not directly apply to individual groups of students but more the student body as a whole. Chickerings responded to these critics by updating his theory with more specific cases. For example:

Chickerings theory as applied to Womens development o According to Chickering, o Womens development differs from that of mens With this he is regarding the importance of interpersonal relationships for the individual sexes o Research has been conducted that show that mature interpersonal relationships may begin earlier for women Sad day men o However, it has been observed that the sense of autonomy and independence may occur later than suggested For many women, developing mature interpersonal relationships seems to precede developing autonomy, because many women seem to achieve autonomy through the development of healthy relationships Women are also seen to be more intimate than men which could allow such results to occur Men- however, experience greater increases in identity development than women do Which explains the idea of the male ego and cockiness. Now another example is the development of different Racial and Ethnic Groups o Some researchers have questioned the validity of Chickerings theories when it comes to non white, middle-class background students It is believed that development of racial and ethnic identity or pride in ones culture or heritage is of particular importance to African American Students- which sometimes delays psychosocial development. Focus on their culture does not allow for individuation in students However a unique form of development can occur out of this. It has been observed that identity, for African Americans includes both personal and collective elements that result from social interaction and group identifications Developing independence and autonomy seems to occur in the context of interpersonal relationships o The role of family and extended family are increased and o Religion, spiritual development, and social responsibility also hold significance in development. It has been noted that African American students are better adjusted at historically black institutions than at pre-dominantly white schools o Isolation and loneliness have been associated with African American students on white campuses(in particular with African American men) o African American Women on White Campuses have been known to score lower on intimacy scales

Confidence, realistic self-appraisal, and solid ethnic identity- are crucial to the success of African American students on predominantly white campuses. Unfortunately research to other ethnic groups is very limited. So Chickerings reference to different ethnic groups developments is basically based on his observation of African American students. Lastly Chickering addresses the development of Gay, lesbian, and Bisexual Students o Chickerings theory is expanded to include becoming comfortable with ones sexual orientation o However, almost no research has been done to examine the suitability of his theory to non heterosexual populations It has been shown that development of sexual identity may retard other components of psychosocial development for gay, lesbian, and bisexual students o What Chickering means by this is managing emotions, developing mature interpersonal relationships, establishing identity, and developing purpose can be affected by how one feels about ones sexual orientation The added pressure of giving up a majority identity and developing a new minority identity is something very difficult to overcome. o Coming out- is a developmental task that is not experienced by heterosexual students and therefore is harder to relate too.

Now, you are probably all wondering how this all relates to residence life that is after all why we are all here, I want to be an RA again. Well Residential Life Programs across the country have embraced Chickerings Theory in a number of ways. How, might you ask, do Res-life professionals do this? By PROGRAMMING! Programming: Chickerings vectors have been used as a basis for the developing programs that help to better adjust students to college life and to ensure that they are able to successfully move through their individual stages of development o Basically, programming can be targeted to address each of the seven vectors There are many examples of programs out there that focus on Chickerings teachings. Examples are: Freshman home reentry program

Which is done at Valparaiso University which helps students with the transition of returning home for the summer after their first year in college o It helps to o Establish identity and free the students from their interpersonal relationships of being back home to become to better adjust them to college life in the fall and to continue to grow and develop on their own

Another example sophomore slump which is done at George Fox University o It was created because they recognized that sophomore college students had o Problems achieving competence, o developing autonomy, o establishing identity, and o developing purpose as they transition into life after Freshmen Year Therefore a Mentoring program was established and individual counseling interventions were introduced that have helped to rejuvenate students and help to get them back on their developmental track Students dont always take advantage of developmental programs o Students who tend to take part in programs focusing on developmental tasks, are usually well developed on their own might be unmotivated to attend programs designed to enhance their less developed skills Students who are most likely to become involved in mentoring programs are least likely to need it o Therefore it is the job of Residence Life professionals (i.e. RAs, RDs and everyone else to focus on ensuring that each students developmental needs are met.) How do I personally feel this can be made possible? My Personal Philosophy o Programming on the weekend to encourage students to stay and develop If we create more active, engaging, and social programs that make students want to stay on campus and make new friends, then they will continue to stay in an environment that is conducive to their developmental process.

RAs role Importance of Community must be stressed in res-life programs

o Make this their home away from home and not just some scary dorm The RA must be there for their residents to ensure that they are comfortable in their new surroundings- which can lead to adequate development We can take an active role in helping residents to grow without interfering in the developmental process o RAs can be there for their residence and help to guide them, without impacting or influencing there developmental process For example telling them to join a particular club because you feel they would like it. Allow them to come to you asking about information for a particular club and then guide them in the right direction Programming centered around this philosophy o Realizing what stage of development your residents are in and program accordingly

I believe that another mission of the residence life program is to find a way to adequately house students to ensure their continued development in college. Some of the best ways to house students are Mixed floors (freshmen/underclassmen) o Which allow underclassmen to seek advice from upperclassmen Having the RA room centered in a location that is easily accessible for those that need advice Always allowing there to be a floor preference system for students Example-(quiet/active) which would allow for optimum comfort for students Active programming involving faculty/staff involvement o Allows for better relationships to be established between departments and between students and professors o This also encourages class attendance. Professors no longer seem scary and by students spending time with them out of the classroom environment, it encourages them to want to go to class to hear what their professors have to say. o Also, often times students feel that Professors are uninterested in what students do outside of their classrooms. By allowing them into the residence halls interacting with students, better relationships can be established. Creating an active reaching out programo Which allows those students that need help to get it if they are too afraid to ask for it. o We would attempt to recognize students that are struggling and attempting to give them guidance.

And finally creating a recognition program o Recognizing good efforts of students and encouraging their involvement in the residence area community/ o This allows residents to realize there is more to res-life than just enforcing the rules; we are trying to make this a happy and friendly environment. o An example: Hoosac Shinning Stars

Now I hope you enjoyed my presentation and Arthur Chickerings theory of Student Development, and now if there are any questions feel free to ask them now.