On the Imperative of Differentiating Between Student Experiences, Learning, and Development in the Third Wave of Development Research
Antonio Duran, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Higher and Postsecondary Education, Division of Educational Leadership and Innovation, Arizona State University The first time I took a college student development class was as an undergraduate student at New York University as they were piloting a course titled, “Who are You and Why are You Here?” I remember feelings of excitement as I learned about the fact that there were theories describing how college students explored formative questions of the self and of their identities as they moved through life, theories that would inform one’s work in higher education settings. This enthusiasm carried over as I took another student development theory class as a master’s student at Miami University where I deepened my understanding of the development journeys of those in college. And yet, as I got deeper into this research, the questions I had grew (probably a good sign of my own learning, and perhaps...