Student Development Theory: A Reflection and Theory-to-Practice

Kevin A. J. Campbell

Louisiana State University

Commonly, the transition between high school and college is known to be difficult.

Many student fail to realize that some of the behaviors and attitudes they had during high school

will not transition to college, and the academic environment they were once used to will change

drastically. Venezia & Jaeger (2013) explain how the vast majority of high school students

aspire to some kind of postsecondary education, yet far too many of them enter college without

the basic content knowledge, skills, or habits of mind they need to succeed (p. 117). High

school students go from spending one-year and many hours in a single-topic class – to college

where the in-class time changes considerably, and the rest has to be supplemented by their own

ability to research and study.

As such, this is just one example where student development theory can be essential for

college administrators and faculty, as some students have a hard time transitioning from being

dependent to independent. Student affairs practitioners have much to offer from their own

experiences, to the development theories that help them better understand and support students as

they enter the world of college.

Student Development Theory

Student development theories are bodies of work dedicated to helping academic

professionals understand and explain developmental processes to how students develop, learn,

and grow. Walker (2008) defines student development theories as a body of human development

theories focused on how individuals who are enrolled in college coursework develop. Merges

physical, biological, physiological, psychological, social and environmental factors (p. 2).

Student affairs practitioners should be well-versed in understanding and applying multiple

upbringings, race, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, etc.

The proper growth and development of students enables practitioners to address the needs

of students and eventually leads to creating a positive culture for them to succeed. Patton, Renn,

Guido-DiBrito & Quaye (2016) explain that knowledge of student development theory enables

higher education and student affairs professionals to identify and address student needs, design

programs, develop policies, and create healthy college environments that encourage positive

growth in students (p. 8).

Student affairs practitioners should be able to assist with topics that deal with the

student’s life such as how they define themselves, how they think others see them, and their

relationships with others. These topics are covered by theorists such as Arthur Chickering, Jean

Phinney, and Ruth Ellen Josselson (Patton et al., 2016). Administrators and staff should also be

able to tackle topics encompassing cognitive and intellectual growth, how student view the

world, and how/why they make the decisions they make within the college setting. Practitioners

can assist students with these areas by reviewing the research of William Perry, Lawrence

Kohlberg, and Carol Gilligan.

Administrators, faculty, and staff must be fully prepared to embrace the challenges that

will be brought to them so they can positively affect each students personal learning

environment. University leadership must be fully invested in allowing student affairs

practitioners the requisite time and resources to properly assist their students. Schuh &

Gansemer-Topf (2010) asserts that senior leaders need to take a holistic view of the students

experience, and provide adequate training and resources to those working in student

development and providing assessments. It’s imperative that everyone works together is student
development so the total learning experience can be understood for both accountability and

improvement purposes (Schuh & Gansemer-Topf, 2010, p. 8).

Applying Theory to My Undergraduate Years

At the time I started my undergraduate work, it was a period of transition on top of

transition. For lack of better, it was a transition overload. I was fresh in what most would

consider a new marriage, or at least in the honeymoon phase. We had just moved to a new duty

location. I was starting a new job that I had not done before in my military career, and my first

child was about to be born. This along with the fact that my wife had no practical knowledge of

active duty military life.

Along with preceding information, I was preparing to attempt college, and it had been 8

years since I had graduated high school. Although I had matured since high school, my

knowledge base was about to be tested, along with the fact that I was embarking on one of the

hardest jobs in the U.S. Army as a Recruiter. This job also came with some of the most sporadic

hours, however, I was determined to overcome all these odds.

The journey started off well, but took many twist and turns. I had a hard time trying to

determine who or which of my tasks deserved the bulk of my time and dedication. Each held its

own level of importance, but I genuinely struggled to balance it all, because it was too many

transitions and moving pieces at once. Consequently, my personal life took some hits, and

though I was able to overcome the obstacles, it didn’t change that fact that the turbulence

occured.

Considering this, Schlossberg’s theory helps us to understand how students deal with

transitions. These transitions include anticipated, unanticipated, and non-events. Conversely,

strategies (Patton et al., 2016, pp. 37-39).

Schlossberg’s Theory Applied:

Situation: new duty location, new job, newly married, starting college

Support: no friends, no family, no additional support

Self: overconfident, internally conflicted, moral and ethical obligations

Strategies: find a real balance, verbalize concerns, set priorities

Schlossberg’s theory is important here as it provides an understanding of adults in

transition and aids them in connecting to the help they needed to cope with the ordinary and

extraordinary process of living (Evans, Forney, Guido, Patton, Renn, 2010, p. 213).

Applying Theory to My Graduate Years

I took a few years off before leaping into graduate work. However, now I am well-

grounded and have successfully worked through many of the transitions I had to deal with during

my undergraduate years. I am passionate about sports, recreation, and coaching, so I enrolled in

a master’s program concentrating on recreation and sports administration. This also included an

additional concentration in intercollegiate sports administration

As I was moving through the program, I began becoming extremely interested in student

athlete development. As someone who coaches, and having been an athlete myself, I wanted to

understand student development theory and how it could be applied to student-athletes. Some

people label student-athletes as unintelligent jocks, who skate through the education system

making mediocre grades. Though student-athletes are celebrated for their accomplishments on

the courts and fields, academically, many are treated like second tier students. This made me

wonder how theory could assist this specific segment of the college population.
 Not to minimize the non-athletes development issues, but the college student-athlete has

a unique set of personal and academic challenges that can be a bit more complicated than their

non-athlete counterparts. Pascarella & Terenzini (2005) explain how intercollegiate athletes

undergo a host of developmental changes during their college years, yet the college experiences

of student-athletes are compounded by well-documented academic and personal challenges,

prompting some to place them alongside other “non- traditional” or “special needs” student

populations. This turbulent situation between faculty, staff, non-athletes, and student-athletes

has to be addressed, and development theory can be applied to provide relief.

In 1987, Arthur Chickering and Zelda Gamson provided theory in the Seven Principles

for Good Practice in Undergraduate Education. They argue how to improve the educational

experiences of the students, and with support from faculty members and mentors, enable them to

maximize educational potential (Chickering & Gamson, 1987). There must be support for

athletics and student-athletes within the educational activity. The idea being that non-athletes

learn from student-athletes and vice-versa. The college experience for all will be richer as a

result of diverse experiences and perspectives that everyone has to offer. Chickering and

Gamson (1987) surmise how students benefit from educational contexts that incorporate student-

faculty interaction, task orientation, cooperation among students, opportunities for

communication, active learning, respect for diverse talents and ways of learning, and prompt

feedback (p. 141).

Reflection

I am not sure of the capacity in which I will transition once I retire from the U.S. Army. I

know for many years I avoid the education system, and now I am enamored by it. Specifically, I

enjoy coaching. It is pure joy watching young athletes develop not only in sports, but academic,
and in life. I want to play a role within the realm of student-athlete development. I really don’t

have a preference as to where I work. I feel like I can make a difference at the high school and

collegiate levels.

Student development offers important theories that describe a student’s intellectual,

emotional, and social development throughout the college experience. Rooted deep in empirical

evidence by way of the many theorist mentioned in this document, student development theory is

critically important as are the student affairs practitioners that assess and provide practical

application of these theories to the students of our colleges and universities. A theory is only as

useful as it is acknowledged and applied. College leaders must understand these practitioners’

importance and provide them the time and resources they need to affect change and create a

positive learning and development environment for their students.

Conclusion

Evans et al (2010) asserts theories provide insights for working effectively with

individual students, advising and training student groups and organizations, designing classroom

experiences, and evaluating and developing policy and procedures on college campuses. Student

development theory influences all parts of a college campus and helps in meeting the goal of

holistic student education within a positive learning environment.

As I read many of these theories and tried to understand them in the context of applying

to a student, I realized that much of it applied to me and I could see my own personal growth and

development. This should reassure us all that development theory is worth our time. As student

affairs practitioners, we must invest in retaining development theory knowledge so we can

provide quality assessments to the student we support. However, keeping in mind that we must
challenge ourselves to be creative when using theory, and that more effort must be made to

publish reports of studies evaluating developmental interventions.

Chickering, A., & Gamson, Z. (1987). Seven principles for good practice in undergraduate

education. Biochemical Education, 17(3), 140-141. doi: 10.1016/0307-4412(89)90094-0

Evans, N.J., Forney, D. S., Guido, F., Patton, L.D., & Renn, K.A. (2010). Student development

in college: Theory, research and practice. (2 ed). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Pascarella, E., & Terenzini, P. (2005). How college affects students: A third decade of research.

San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Patton, L., Renn, K., Guido-DiBrito, F., & Quaye, S. (2016). Student development in

college (3rd ed.). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Schuh, J., & Gansemer-Topf, A. (2010). The Role of Student Affairs in Student Learning

Assessment. National Institute For Learning Outcomes Assessment. Retrieved from

http://National Institute for Learning Outcomes Assessment

Venezia, A., & Jaeger, L. (2013). Transitions from High School to College. The Future Of

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Walker, M. (2008). "Working with college students and student development theory primer.

Retrieved 18 April 2020, from https://srs.ucsd.edu/_files/theory/student-development-

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