Outcomes of Higher Education: Personal Self-Discovery

Virginia Byrne and Cassidy Sansone

Self-Discovery as an Outcome: Why?Personal self-discovery is “one of the most far-reaching purposes of higher education” 1 Universities strive to enable students to find themselves and their purposePersonal self-discovery is “Knowledge of one’s own talents, interests, values, aspirations, and weaknesses [and] discovery of unique personal identity”2 The nature of the college environment provides innate opportunities for students to self-discover We want students to be able to internalize the lessons they learn and the encounters they have with others in order to help them better understand themselvesBy assessing, we as an institution can tailor programming to help students with specific developmental needs.

1 (Bowen, 1977, p.28 )2 (Bowen, 1977, p.35)

How do we define self-discovery? The six ways self-discovery can be intentionally facilitated:

1. Introduce students to a wide range of ideas2. Provide opportunities to meet peers and role models3. Assist students in considering new paths for life after graduation4. Allow students to test a variety of fields and tasks5. Help students discover their limitations; and6. Motivate students to reach their full potential as humans 1

“Turning point” moments and key experiences exist in programs which1. push students to their limits, 2. require students to play an active role instead of a passive one, 3. have a measure of uncertainty, 4. require students to face the possibility of failure.2

Our primary research goal is not how students define self-discovery or whether or not they have some type of self-discovery during their college career

Instead, for those students who have experienced personal self-discovery, we hope to identify what type of environment, staff, and experience was needed to create this growth.

1 (Bowen, 1977, p. 28)2 (Yair, 2008)

Self-Discovery Focused: Introduce students to a wide range of ideasNarrowing the focus: introducing students to a wide range of ideas Considering Yair’s four characteristics, opening up to new ideas

stretched a student’s comfort level, asks him or her to be engaged, and puts the student in a place where lack of knowledge could make him or her seem

ignorant or naive (a fear of social failure).

Surveying Florida State University’s undergraduate population in regards to their involvement in programming designed to expand students’ ways of thinking Programs that require close interactions with unfamiliar students,

social groups, and ideas will help students to develop an understanding of and learn to accept difference

Assessment Procedure: Learning Outcomes

How do students define self-discovery?Have FSU students obtained a sense of self-discovery upon graduation? Do students who participate in programs that introduce students to a wide range of ideas leave with a sense of self-discovery?Do students who do not participate in programs that introduce students to a wide range of ideas leave with a sense of self-discovery?What aspects of programs, courses, or experiential learning opportunities best facilitate students’ realization of self-discovery?

Assessment Procedure:Research Sample & Input Data

Simple random sample of FSU students Surveyed at their entry to and exit from campus.

Suskie1 recommends a random sample to ensure that the sample is actually representative of the population. Controlled for those students who intentionally who self-select into

diversity, global education, and other exploratory specific programs. Other input variables were held constant based on availability and

suitability of responses such as sex, race, socioeconomic status, and academic programs.

1 (Suskie, 1992)

Assessment Procedure:Environmental Data

Variables chosen based on research1 on what experiences enable students to think critically, develop an appreciation for differences, and gain self-understanding Also must require close interactions with unfamiliar students, social groups, and

ideas, which help students to develop an understanding of and learn to accept differences

Environmental variables chosen include: Extracurricular activities engagement (two hours or more per week, on average), Academic coursework, Other experiential learning engagement, On-university based involvement (community, church, employment, etc), and Level of challenge.

1 Bowen (1977), Yair (2008), and Chickering & Reisser (1993)

Assessment Implementation:Gathering Outcome Data

Comprehensive assessment program consisting of: Pre- and post-tests of a quantitative survey Qualitative focus groups to assess the “talent development”1 of

undergraduate students Note: we will not directly assess self-discovery in college students through self-

reporting

Other methods of assessment: Comparing ourselves to other Florida institutions Nationally-accepted standards

For example, National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) & Collegiate Learning Assessment (CLA)

1 (Astin, 1996, p.6)

Assessment ResultsResults showed that students who engage in dialogue and experiential learning with those of different viewpoints and walks of life exhibit significant levels of self-discovery.1

Identifying what type of environment, staff, and experience was needed to create this growth Examples from respondents include:

randomly assigned roommates in the residence halls randomly assigned group projects living-learning communities, and multicultural programming.

1 (as defined by Bowen and Yair; see Slide 3)

What Our Results MeanFulfilling our duty to state policy makers Communicating that our work (and spending) has been assessed to ensure that we are

increasing student self-discovery

Fulfilling our duty to our community To ensure the state of Florida is competing in national business and discourse, our

graduates must be confident in relating with people from every walk of life. Graduates must also be empowered to become global citizens and leaders, making them

competitive in the global marketplace of ideas.

Fulfilling our duty to our students Student development is one of the most sought-after outcomes—for both educators

and students—of attending college. By challenging students more, both inside and outside the classroom, FSU is expanding

their critical thinking, interpersonal, reflection, and many other skill sets that will benefit them for the rest of their lives.

Who We're Sharing our Results With

University Administrators, staff, and faculty All parties invested in student development and fostering self-discovery

inside and outside of the classroom

Florida state policy makers Encourage collaboration and build relationships between Florida policy

makers and Florida State university administration Demonstrate how FSU is cultivating citizens with an awareness of

themselves and their vison for the community. "The most fundamental state interest [is] to develop the talents of the

state’s citizens as fully as possible.“1

1 (Astin, 1996, p. 218)

Limitations & Criticisms

Our assessment is simply regarding the self-discovery of FSU students in light of the programs offered here on campus. One of our main intentions is to increase trust and cooperation between

Florida policy makers and Florida State University administration specifically1

Although FSU is a large public institution, results are not generalizable to all public institutions of higher education.

We only assessed one of the six ways2 to intentionally facilitate self-discovery. We recommend that more research is done in the future focusing on the other 5 methods.

1 (Astin, 1996).2 (Bowen, 1977)

RecommendationsPolicy makers, faculty, university staff, and students alike must put more emphasis on the need for diversity and exploratory programs The results of this assessment will be used to provide feedback to students

interested in developing themselves and gaining personal self-discovery, as well as improving the organization of higher education1

Florida State University should institute a comprehensive longitudinal student database of all FSU students’ input, environment, and outcome information, organized by cohort1

Examples of the information in this proposed database include: our controlled input variables; environmental factors such as extracurricular involvement, academic curricula, staff

interaction, internship experience; and outcomes including post-graduation aspirations and career plans, community involvement,

self-awareness, values, global perspectives, and etc.

1 (Astin, 1996).

ReferencesAstin, A.W. (1996). Assessment for excellence: The philosophy and practice of assessment and

evaluation in higher education. Phoenix, AZ: ACE/The Oryx Press.Bowen, H. (1977). Investment in learning. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.Chickering, A.W., & Reisser, L. (1993). Education and identity (2nd ed.). San Fransisco: Jossey-

Bass.Evans, N. J., Forney, D. S., Guido, F. M., Patton, L. D., & Renn, K. A. (2010). Student development in college: Theory, research, and practice (2nd ed). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.Suskie, L. A. (1992). Questionnaire survey research: What works (2nd Ed.). Tallahassee, FL:

Association for Institutional Research.Upcraft, M. L. and Schuh, J. (1996) Assessment in student affairs. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass,

Inc.Yair, G. (2008). Key educational experiences and self-discovery in higher education. Teaching

& Teacher Education, 24(1), 92-103. doi:10.1016/j.tate.2007.04.002