Student Interview Paper 2. College Student Affairs 503. Nick Pazdziorko. The Pennsylvania State University

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1 Student Interview Paper 2, 1 Running Head: Student Interview Paper 2 Student Interview Paper 2 College Student Affairs 503 Nick Pazdziorko The Pennsylvania State University

2 Student Interview Paper 2, 2 Abstract: During the spring semester of 2008, a significant amount of time was spent learning about undergraduate students Natalie Borgia and Rebecca Becky Ellis of The Pennsylvania State University. The following is an analysis of the student s cognitive, moral, and spiritual development.

3 Student Interview Paper 2, 3 Introduction: Over the course of an eight week period, I spent a significant amount of time with student Natalie Borgia and Rebecca Becky Ellis of The Pennsylvania State University. During this time I tailored our conversations to the topics and material read and discussed in class in addition to any personal anecdotes the students felt free to share. In doing this many interesting and poignant stories were shared as to how these students make sense of who they are and where they are headed in life. Through these interviews, I not only gained a great deal of informative research but also provided a chance for the students to reflect on their own personal development thus far. In the following paper I will analyze stories shared and the questions answered by each of the students. In doing this I will apply a theoretical lens and make an assessment as to where each of these students may be with regards to their cognitive, moral, and spiritual development. In conclusion, I will discuss the overall development of each of these students, where each may be headed, and the interconnectedness of these areas. Students: Natalie Borgia is an eighteen year old first year student in her second semester at Penn State. Originally from Bethlehem Pennsylvania, Natalie already feels like Penn State is her home. Having come from a very academically driven family, Natalie strives to do her very best in class in hopes to maintain a good grade point average (GPA). Additionally, she is looking toward the future, and beginning to involve herself with groups that provide her with the best support and chance of succeeding after college. Rebecca Becky Ellis is a twenty-two year old female in what was to be her final semester at Penn State until she recently withdrew from the university. Having to

4 Student Interview Paper 2, 4 contend with diabetes and a bout of depression, Becky has found herself struggling to maintain the drive to be a student. Currently, Becky is in the midst of evaluating where she is headed in the future while working to overcome her depression that s is a symptom of a crisis that she has encountered early in her college career. Cognitive Development: As I reflect on my conversations and interactions with Natalie I believe that the current state of her cognitive development is that of transition. Prior to Natalie s arrival to Penn State and even in many current instances, Natalie would fall into the dualism position as interpreted though Perry s Theory (as cited in Evans, Forney, Guido-DiBrito, 1998). This assertion is due to Natalie s belief about knowledge and how she makes decisions with regards to knowledge. For as she explained, she sees knowledge coming from what can be considered an authority figured, and states that 95% of the time I talk to someone related to the issue or decision, like a mentor or my dad when making a decision (N. Borgia, personal communication, April 11, 2008). Natalie further explained that she is more often than not seeking advice from her father on a regular basis because it is her belief that he knows what would be the best decision for her. It is through my continued discussion with Natalie that I find her beginning to transition to the multiplicity position of Perry s Theory (as cited in Evans et al. 1998). I believe that evidence of this can be seen with Natalie s turn toward the reliance of her peers for knowledge. Recently when Natalie was making the decision if she should join a business fraternity, she relied heavily on her peer s input. She discussed with many of them what benefits they have received from the group, and explained that I relied more on my friends for this, and less on what my dad had to say (N. Borgia, personal

5 Student Interview Paper 2, 5 communication, April 11, 2008). By doing this, Natalie collected a variety of opinions and evaluated each to have a valid claim in influencing her decision. By examining this presumed change through Baxter-Magolda s Model of Epistemological Reflection (as cited in Evans et al. 1998), I believe that Natalie s development would be viewed as moving into the transitional knowing stage (p.155). This is due to the gathering of information from peers, as well as through her autonomous decision making. For I believe that both theorists would find that college has had an impact on the way that Natalie makes sense of knowledge. The influence has moved Natalie to become less dependant on those she would see as an authority and more reliant on others, such as her peers, for input when making a decision. The conversations that I had with Becky, my second adopted student, aligned similarly with Natalie s positions or stages of cognitive development. Rebecca Becky Ellis was in what was supposed to be her final semester at Penn State, but recently made the decision to withdraw from the university. In reflecting on this decision, Becky stated, I thought long and hard about this decision, talking to a lot of people, but I was the one who had to make the final decision (R. Ellis, personal communication, April 11, 2008). Becky explained further that she discussed withdrawing with her parents, a few close friends and then made the decision. I believe that this example clearly represents how Becky goes about making sense of knowledge and what influences that process. When examining this through Perry s Theory (as cited in Evans et al. 1998), I believe Becky has transitioned into the stage of multiplicity (p. 132). Although I do think that Becky believes everyone s opinion to have value, she often reverts back to a lower level of

6 Student Interview Paper 2, 6 Perry s Theory, working at optimal dissonance, relying heavily on what is said from authorities such as her parents for guidance. (Evans et al. 1998) When applying the Baxter-Magolda s Model of Epistemological Reflection (as cited in Evans et al. 1998), to the conversations I had with Becky, I believe there to be similarities to Natalie. Although their experiences are completely different, the process Becky arrives at the decision to withdraw from school exhibits a number of the same skills found in Natalie. The ability to seek others opinions, particularly those of ones peers and then exercise a great deal of personal judgment are the most prominent exhibited by each student. The only true difference in this may be how long Natalie and Becky have been practicing this. For I believe that the early experiences Becky has encountered in comparison to Natalie has brought her farther along at a much earlier time under Baxter-Magolda s Model. Moral Development: Analyzing the stories and discussion I had with both Natalie and Becky I find that the area of moral development to be an area of difference between the two students. When talking with Natalie about how she makes decisions in her life it was very apparent as to what was important for her. Natalie stated, I usually make a list of the positives and negatives and make the best decision for myself (N. Borgia, personal communication, April 11, 2008). Natalie also explained that although she tries to make the best decision for her, she also does not want to disappoint people such as her parents by making the wrong decision. When applying a theoretical lens to this and looking at Natalie s through Kohlberg s Theory of Moral Development (as cited in Evans et al. 1998), she appears very egocentric, falling within the conventional level of the theory. Within this level,

7 Student Interview Paper 2, 7 Natalie s drive to make the right decision in hopes of pleasing her parents bring her into Stage 3: Interpersonally Normative Morality of this level (Evans et al ) Overall, Natalie s decisions revolve around the idea of making herself look like a good person to gain the approval of others (p.174), which in most cases is approval from authorities such as parents or professors. When talking with Becky and reflecting on how she had made the decision to withdraw from school, as well as other minor decision in her life, the conversational undertone was always the same. Becky was very individual focused, and much of her decisions concentrated toward what was best for her. Although she did seek additional perspectives from parents and peers, much of her decisions provided her with the greatest benefit. When looking at this though Kohlberg s Theory of Moral Development (as cited in Evans et al. 1998), it is easy to see that Becky if very different than Natalie. Becky s individual focus leaves her in a very preconventional level. Although this is not very advanced, I do believe that much of this individual focus comes from the seriousness of the issues Becky is dealing with. The incidents of loss and depression that she has experienced have brought her to a current need to focus on her self, rather than others. Applying Gilligan s Theory of Women s Moral Development (as cited in Evans et al. 1998), to Natalie and Becky, differences are also exhibited. For Natalie I believe that she is moving through the First Transition: From Selfishness to Responsibility (p. 192) due to her movement from a focus of herself to a focus toward others. Essentially, Natalie is beginning to move the care from her self, and is now considering others care and the good for others, through want to take on roles such as resident assistant. This is very different than where Becky currently is with regards to this Gilligan s theory.

8 Student Interview Paper 2, 8 Currently I believe that Becky is still in Second Transition: From Goodness to Truth (p.192). This presumption is due to the fact that although Becky has recently focused much of her needs toward herself, she is still willing and motivated to care for individuals such as her boyfriend or peers. I further believe that Becky has found herself trapped within this transition and is torn between survival and morality (p.193), due to the fact that s she is trying the find the best way to care for herself and others at the same time (Evans et al. 1998). I believe that due to the current environmental factors that Becky is challenged with; she may stay within the transition for several more years. Spiritual Development: When talking with Natalie and Becky about their spirituality I found this conversation to be enlightening. The discussions that I had with each of these students not only taught me about whom each of them believed they were, but it unintentionally brought about a bit of self realization. As I explored what it means to be spiritual with each, I could not help but to analyze myself with regards to where I am at with my own spiritual development. For Natalie, she believes her self to be a spiritual person, and not in the religious perspective, but in the sense that in the end everything will work out (N. Borgia, personal communication, April 11, 2008). Likewise, Becky explained that, I definitely am not a religious person by any stretch of the imagination, but ya I believe I am spiritual (R. Ellis, personal communication, April 11, 2008). More interestingly, both Becky and Natalie couldn t go much further than that when talking about how they make sense of their spirituality. Applying Parks model of Faith Development (cited in Love, 2001, I believe that both Natalie and Becky are currently in the stage of Young Adult. This belief is due to

9 Student Interview Paper 2, 9 the fact that both have followed very similar patterns in dealing with new learning, and have returned to a greater dependence on others in authority (Love, 2001). For both of these students, they have found dependence from the authority figured such as parents and professors. Furthermore, each of them fall within this stage due to their continued exploration of faith by participation is various groups such as sororities, business fraternities, and other clubs and organizations. Overall I found it very hard to assess where each of these student were in terms of their spiritual development when I found myself to be at the same developmental level. I feel that similar to the students, I continue to explore my faith and spirituality daily. Although I may have had a longer time to engage in this exploration, I believe that this is one area that I struggle with in my personal developmental process. Conclusion: In conclusion, I enjoyed spending time with both of these students and feel that I not only learned a great deal about both of them, but also about myself. Through analyzing their cognitive, moral, and spiritual development I have found that although Natalie and Becky have no idea who each other are, they share a great deal in common with regards to their developmental path. Although their experiences or environments may be completely different, they have on some levels, come to very similar points. For Natalie, I believe that she will continue to make tremendous strides when it comes to her development. I feel that she is in the very early stages in defining who she is as an individual and how she makes sense of the world around her. For Becky, I believe that she still has quite a bit of work ahead of her. Becky has encountered many more experiences; I believe that she struggles to make meaning of who she is on a more

10 Student Interview Paper 2, 10 independent level. Although she has exhibits signs of forward growth throughout the three areas of development, she has not maintained such a consistent forward level of growth. In relation to the interconnectedness of these three areas, I believe that one can not grow in one are without growing in another. The sheer process of how people make sense of their experiences leads to unexpected development in each area. Through exploration of these areas I believe that knowledge or learning is shown to be very contextual and dependant on environmental factors. Although specific changes or growth in each area may be dependant on the student, I believe that all three areas move in a progressively forward together.

11 Student Interview Paper 2, 11 References: Evans, N. J., Forney, D. E., & Guido-DiBrito, F. (1998). Student development in college: Theory, research, and practice. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. Love, P. G. (2001). Spirituality and student development: Theoretical connections. In. M. A. Jablonski (ed.), The Implications of Student Spirituality for Student Affairs Practice (pp. 7-16). New Directions for Student Services, no. 95. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.