Chickering’s Vectors on the Development of College Students A Psychosocial Approach

Chickering’s Vectors on the Development of College Students: A Psychosocial Approach Aditi M Sengupta, Dept. of Educational Leadership & Counseling

LIVING AWAY FROM HOME: The limits of insight For most students, attending a University for the first time will mean living on their own for the first time. When I asked a first year student Eddie what will you look forward to most about going to a college , he replied : -œThe freedom, I get to do what I want, whenever I want, (without Mom and Dad telling me what to do).- While this freedom seems to be exciting to Eddie , it can also be viewed as a form of anxiety as the beginning of the first semester begins. For Eddie, it took a few weeks of college life to realize that he is fully responsible for managing his daily affairs. There is no one to ensure that he is attending classes , eating well and getting good sleep. No one to tell him that he has to complete his assignments on time and that he should get enough exercise to keep himself fit and healthy. These things are now his responsibility, and maybe before starting for college he did not give much thought to these ideas, now to get over this boredom he has to make decisions to find a balance. Now is the time to develop competence for Eddie to make good decisions rather than poor ones. It was not until one day in the second semester when he realised -œI should not have stayed up watching the movie , but we were having so much fun-¦.I barely stayed awake in class the next day.- He was asked to join the Learning center for tutoring help as his grades were not meeting the standards of the class. The personal help from the tutors helped him to establish his communication with his parents, however it took a little extra effort and time to get him focussed on long term goals so that he can make good choices.It made things easier in the short term and Eddie gained maturity to avoid skipping classes and to make up for poorer grades by making sincere decisions and seeking help from his tutors to solve his problems. At the end of the first year of study Eddie was secured with an overall -œB-grade, got self confidence to meet his needs through appropriate university channels and was able to make decisions that will help him in the months and years to come. Edward Robinson is a first year undergraduate student in the first year of African American Studies from the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at Eastern Michigan University, Ypsilanti, Michigan. From this particular case we can discuss about two vectors from Chickering’s theory. -œDeveloping competence- which includes intellectual , physical and manual and interpersonal qualities.The level of competence involves using one’s mind to build skill using analytical and comprehensive thought.The physical and manual aspect involve atheletic and artistic achievement , as well as an increase in self -discipline, strength and fitness, competition and creation.Interpersonal characteristics encompass skills, such as: listening, understanding and communicating in functional relationships. The second vector of Chickering’s theory is -œmanaging emotions.-This vector is important so that feelings such as anxiety, anger, depression, desire , guilt, shame and embarrassment do not become extreme to the point where they interfere with educational proceedings.The minimum and maximum levels of these emotions will help to cope with them better while moving through this vector. FORMING NEW FRIENDSHIPS:Through the looking glass Even when you are in the second year in college many students find themselves longing for how things used to be: the comfort of their family and old friends , home cooked meals and their own beds. This is a story of Julie who is a sophomore in the Dept. of Biology at Univ. of Indiana, Indianapolis.When I asked Julie, she reminisced about her past, -œ Friends from high school are all scattered over the country, and the challenge of developing new friendships seems formidable.- In the second year of her studies Julie became well accustomed to the social ilfe that is a part of the college culture of the university. According to Julie she performed well in her first year of college that gave her an extra edge over other students .During her first two years of autonomy Julie has focused on developing her self esteem. She developed good relationships with her parents, teachers and peers. So crossing her initial year in College now she has a better control over how she can spend her time. She has made a group of good friends , her academic success has made her assertive and she feels comfortable in the University settings. Considering the third vector of the developmental theory titled -œmoving through autonomy -œ towards interdependence I think Julie is a perfect example of autonomy towards interdependence that requires both emotional and instrumental independence.Emotional independence occurs when one can cope up with the fear of separation from parents, support groups etc. where Julie has shown her capability to go on and perform well.A student achieves instrumental independence once there is manifestation of organizational capabilities and problem solving.Thus, thinking up ideas and thus putting those ideas into action is instrumental independence. Julie’s acceptability of the university culture and her cooperation with a close group of friends will definitely help her to achieve instrumental independence and pave the way to success in interpersonal relationships which is a necessity in multicultural diverse society. TAKING CONTROL: The Resilient self A common concern of students living in the residence halls during their undergraduate years is living with a complete stranger. Carl, a third year undergraduate student at University of Cincinnati Ohio and working in the residence halls views his work as- Tired of wishes, empty of dreams.- He admits that the living situation in the residence halls promotes the development of many essential skills , where communication is the key. With his experience as resident hall manager he has been part of many stressful situations that has been noticed while dealing with many easy going students.However, he has seen the majority of the roommates live together well and form good relationships in spite of the odds that seem to be against it. Carl Flores is a third year student at University of Cincinnati in the Dept. of Chemistry.His ideas mainly support the fourth vector -œdeveloping mature interpersonal relationships.-Two aspects of this vector are, (1)tolerance and appreciation of differences and(2) capacity for intimacy.Tolerance is both intercultural and interpersonal.Openness and understanding , instead of stereotyping increases tolerance.The capacity for intimacy factor entails moving from a significant amount of dependence towards an interdependence between people and the diverse environment. IDENTITY DEVELOPMENT:Integrity, Skill and Will The issue of developing a stable sense of identity is central to the college years.David , a final year student at Yale University describes his adolescence and young adulthood as a time of life filled with thinking and reflection of the core elements that forms one’s sense of self: personal strengths and weaknesses, likes and dislikes and beliefs and values.He describes his valuable experience of attending a University like Yale. He says, it has given him the opportunity to learn subjects that he has never been exposed before and also emphasizes that he is able to discuss ideas and viewpoints which will help him to pursue a career in the Doctoral program in Physics through his exposure to new ideas . He relates his success in academic life to effective use of free time and then prioritizing to do what works best for him.While there are many different time management strategies , he has always built a schedule along the blocks of time spent in class and built in specific times to study, eat , work and socialize. He has been involved in the Sophomore Selections which has given him opportunities to explore his pathway and to observe careers within it.He is greatly benefitted by availing this opportunity that is offered in their University to get the harmony in life,i.e. to balance self, relationships and personal achievement. From the experiences of David Sandburg two vectors become available for discussion.The fifth vector -œestablishing identity- encompasses development that occurs in the first four vectors.The development of identity includes the following (1) Comfort with body and appearance, (2) comfort with gender and sexual orientation, (3)sense of self in a social , historical and cultural context, (4)sense of self as reflected from others (5) clarification of self concept through life style,(6)self acceptance and self esteem, (7) personal stability and integration.Knowing one’s self and the attitudes towards one’s self is important in establishing identity. -œDeveloping purpose- is the sixth vector.Developing a purpose for why one attends college varies and depends on career goals, personal aspirations and commitments to family and other aspects of one’s own life.Decisions are made to balance the career goals , personal aspirations and commitments to family and self. Students during their finishing years need to define a set of consistent , personalized values to guideactions that include an emphasis on social responsibility. David, in his junior and senior years showed scientific enterprise in research and development of new techniques that has helped him to earn fellowships and scholarships to fund his own tuitions thus relieving his parents from private investment and also reducing the burden of federal loans on himself. He has been selected for an internship in his selected field of study where he’ll have the opportunity to learn job maintenance and ethics together with building a social network.He describes this opportunity of his as: -œSenior transitions to move forward.- Looking back into David’s achievements, it becomes very clear that he has set forth values that will guide his actions in future, he has personalized his vlaues which has brought congruence in actions.He seems to follow a personal code reflecting personal assessment and direction that will serve as a flexible guide to his behavior as a role model to his juniors. According to Chickering’s theory of student development integrity for one’s beliefs, values and purposes must be established. Taking into consideration other view points to preserve self respect while monitoring behavior is important in College Student Development. Applying Chickering’s seven vectors of college- age student development, student affair professionals can guide the students in a safe and functional environment . Demonstrating the value and encouragement of students when they “underscore the importance of student life through symbolic action- has been challenged by the psychosocial theory of Chickering at different stages or periods during the life cycle. George Otte appropriately commented in the First Intentional meeting on future directions in Developmental Education in 1999: -œWe tend to construct developmental education like a series of canal locks, with gates and lifts, when it needs to be more like a river as it reaches the sea. We need to see each student’s education as a continuum, not as a series of discrete experiences.- Lives continue unresolved through times immemorial.Chickering’s(1969) seven vectors of College student development have withstood the test of time with the development of identity being central. Additional References: 1.Higbee, J.L. (1993). Developmental versus remedial: More than semantics. Research and Teaching in Developmental Education, 9(2), 99-107. 2.Gilligan, C. (1992). In a different voice: psychological theory and women’s development. Cambridge, MA; Harvard University Press.

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vectors, competence, communication, qualities, skills, analytical, self-discipline, emotions, autonomy, diverse, interdependence, functionalrelationship,

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