Assessing Meaning Making and Self-Authorship: Theory, Research, and Application: ASHE Higher Education Report 38:3 (J–B ASHE Higher Education Report Series (AEHE)) - Softcover

Baxter, Marcia B.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1118500547 ISBN 13: 9781118500545

Publisher: Jossey-Bass, 2012

Synopsis

One reason so many students fail to achieve complex learning goals may be that they rely too heavily on others opinions about what to believe, who to be, and how to relate to others. The meaning-making capacity of self-authorship provides a basis from which to understand and learn from one s experiences; without this, students are at a loss to know how to make intentional choices about what to believe and how to act. Similarly, without a means to access and assess students meaning making, researchers are at a disadvantage in deciding how to interpret students academic performance and other behaviors, and educators are at a disadvantage in translating findings into the design of new programs and services. This monograph is for those who are interested in understanding self-authorship and its assessment, and in using this approach in their own work. Drawing from well-established theories and extensive longitudinal research including nearly two thousand interviews, it offers a detailed account of how young adults capacities become more complex and adaptive over time. Those who understand the role of meaning making will be better able to document its effects on educational outcomes and provide better information to decision makers about program effectiveness. Each monograph in the series is the definitive analysis of a tough higher education problem, based on thorough research of pertinent literature and institutional experiences. Topics are identified by a national survey. Noted practitioners and scholars are then commissioned to write the reports, with experts providing critical reviews of each manuscript before publication.

About this title

About the Author

MARCIA B. BAXTER MAGOLDA is associate professor of educational leadership at Miami University. She received the American College Personnel Association Theory and Research Board Award in 1986 and 1989. The author of many articles on intellectual development and gAnder issues, Baxter Magolda also serves on the editorial board of the Journal of College Student Development.

Edition details

• Publisher: Jossey-Bass
• Publication date: 2012
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1118500547
• ISBN 13: 9781118500545
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 160