OUR STUDENTS - Who are they? What do they want?! How can we help them?! A Developmental Perspective Assembled by Diana E. Knauf, Ph.D. Professor of Psychology

Overview Our Students –WHO are they? –Why are they HERE? –What do they want and need? Developmental Theory –What does it say? –How can it help? How this translates to our students. Questions

WHO ARE THEY?! There are about 12,200 of them. All with differing dreams and goals. All come hoping to have a great experience. (And some of them even get one.)

WHO ARE THEY?!

WHY ARE THEY HERE?!

WHAT DO THEY NEED? Developmental Education MATH – We KNOW that a large proportion of our students need developmental math (they are not college- ready). READING – We KNOW that a large group of our students cannot read at the college level. WRITING – We KNOW a similar group cannot write at the college level. WHY can’t we be more specific? –The Testing Center software used for data collection does not currently distinguish between our students and people taking these tests for other reasons.

WHAT DO THEY NEED? Financial Assistance About 25% of our students receive some type of aid. –62% receive a federal or state grant –40% have borrowed from a loan program –Some receive both types Many of our students work part- or full- time. Many of our students receive some “help from home.”

HOW CAN DEVELOPMENTAL THEORY HELP? Theories are the closet organizers of life. –We need to know where things go; how things fit. Students deserve our recognition of the life issues that face them in and out of the classroom. PIAGET ERIKSON LABOUVIE-VIEF BIOLOGICAL FINDINGS LERNER

PIAGET’S THEORY OF COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT Formal Operational Stage –begins at approx. age twelve and lasts into adulthood. Ability to think abstractly and to manipulate abstract concepts. –adolescents begin to consider possible outcomes and consequences of actions Logical thought, deductive reasoning, and systematic planning also emerge during this stage. Problem-solving – movement from trial-and-error to an organized approach. Develop the skills to solve problems more methodically.

LABOUVIE-VIEF’S POST FORMAL THOUGHT Adult thinking that does not rely SOLELY on logic or reason. –takes into account the relativistic nature of problems and solutions. –sees gray areas. –Incorporates flexible thinking that acknowledges the world as complex and contradictory.

ERIKSON’S DEVELOPMENTAL THEORY Infant Trust vs. Mistrust Toddler Autonomy vs. Shame & Doubt Preschooler Initiative vs. Guilt School-Age Child Industry vs. Inferiority Older Adult Integrity vs. Despair Adolescent Identity vs. Role Confusion Young Adult Intimacy vs. Isolation Middle-Age Adult Generativity vs. Stagnation

CURRENT BIOLOGICAL TRENDS Adolescent brains –Growth and pruning Ability to generate all of the possibilities. Difficulty in selecting the “best” one. –Id, ego and superego – see Freud still matters. –“My mother got smarter as I grew older.” or the “I know everything already” syndrome.

What?! MORE BIOLOGY?! – “Blooming” of psychopathology – The hormone parade – Risky behaviors

Adult Brains –Development of flexibility. –The effect of stress. –The “menopause” effect. –Cognitive decline as myth.

SO, WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR OUR STUDENTS? Let’s look at resulting issues. A few profiles.

TYPICAL ISSUES OF ADOLESCENCE AUTONOMY – school, moving out, car, social life, partner, cooking and shopping. BIOLOGY AND THE BRAIN -neuron growth, the development of complex thought, the ability to generate multiple alternatives paired with the inability to choose wisely, raging hormones, and a difficulty/unwillingness to question. IDENTITY- Who AM I; descriptively, vocationally, politically, sexually, morally, religiously, culturally, racially, peer groups (drugs, alcohol, sexual behaviors).

POSSIBLE ISSUES OF THE NON- TRADITIONAL STUDENT Insecure Persistent Unsure of skills Feelings of a lack of self worth Embarrassment Feeling out of place (among the trads) Financial concerns Need to update skills Fear that one cannot learn anymore Determined Articulate Demanding Excited Feelings of unworthiness Doubts Fears Uncertainty Feeling “behind”/late bloomer Difficulty of finding life balance Financial issues

PROFILES Amanda Andy George Marion

THE IMPORTANCE OF CONTEXT Who am I? Goals Important people Earlier Education Needed Skills Where I came from. Development My 3 rd grade teacher said... Resources Support System What happened yesterday. Skills & Smarts

When we consider our students and their stories, we can serve them in the most helpful ways.

QUESTIONS? You will receive a copy of this PowerPoint. I am happy to answer any questions you have right now.

Thank you. Thanks especially to Jim James, Ted Haase and Catherine Mohr for their invaluable assistance.