Final Report: Self-Authorship

Tasmia Moosani, Alyssa Muñoz, Collin Nail, Isabelle Wroblewski

Seattle University
SDAD 5400: Student Development Theory, Research & Practice
Nov. 30th, 2017
 Self Authorship
• Our Definition:
– A lifelong journey that shapes the beliefs, values, and overall identity
development of an individual. Focused primarily on different
developmental tasks students face every day, including: values
exploration, making sense of previously learned information,
navigating their individual path, and how to take steps along a certain
path (Baxter Magolda, 2008).

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 Campus Collaboration Profile
• Seattle University Demographics (Enrollment Statistics, 2016)
– 44.4% minority students
– 4,780 undergraduate students enrolled
• Garfield High School Demographics (GHS Key Facts and Statisitcs, 2015)
– 61.1% minority students
– 1,620 students enrolled
• Creation of connections through meaningful relationships

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Campus Collaboration Profile Continued
• 13th year scholarship (13th year promise scholarship, 2017)
– Assistance with transition
• The outreach center (Student Success and Outreach, 2017)
– Support for first generation students
• Parent connection resources (Student Success and Outreach, 2017)
– Opportunities for parents to understand the process of students going to college
• Local family engagement (Resources for Local families and residents, 2017)
– Opportunities for the community to get to know campus
• Service Learning (Student Success and Outreach, 2017)
– Hands-on genuine experiences in the community.
• Overall facilitation of self authorship

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 Literature Review Synthesis
• Community cultural wealth must inform practice
(Abes & Jones, 2004; Magolda, 2004; Pizzolato, 2003; Torres & Hernandez, 2007; Walczak, 2008; Yonkers-Talz; 2004, Zaytoun, 2012; George
Mwangi, C. A., 2015; Rios-Aguilar, C., & Kiyama, J.M., 2012; Zhang, P., & Smith, W., 2011).

• Creating spaces for underrepresented students

(Magolda, 2004; Taylor & Hanes, 2008; Zaytoun, 2012; McKillip et al, 2013; Cook-Sather, 2007)

• Aspirational goals of underrepresented students

(Pizzolato, 2003; Pizzolato, 2004; Winters, 2016; Zaytoun, 2012; Desmond, M., & Turley, R. N. L., 2009; Bennett, P., Lutz, A., & Jayaram, L., 2012;
Wickrama, K. A., S., Simons, L. G., & Baltimore, D., 2012).

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 Promising Practices Synthesis
• Self Authorship Best Practices Research
• 3 Main Themes
– Program Length and Preparation
• College Bound in St. Louis, MO (Le et al, 2015), Summer Search (Summer Search, 2017), College Access
for All – Middle School in NYC (College access for all middle school, 2012)
– Student Mentorship
• Carolina College Advising Corps in NC (Carolina college advising corps, 2017), BELIEF at Whitworth
University (Messer, 2017), UW Dream Project (UW dream project, 2017)
– Family Engagement
• Inversant in Massachusetts (Inversant, 2015), Barrio Logan College Institute in San Diego, CA (Barrio
Logan College Institute), College Forward in Austin, TX (College Forward, 2017)

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 Recommendations
1. Program beginning at middle school and
extending up to the second year of college
2. Students are placed in a program that
continues from 6th grade up until 12th
grade. This forms a community for students
to be involved in and gives them the
exposure to college going capital
3. Family engagement beginning with their
students → exposure to the program
together
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 Recommendations Continued
Theories/Research:
• A consistent theme incorporated every year will be focused on Yosso’s CCW and Pizzolato’s self
authorship theories.
• Recommendation 1:
– Magolda (2008): Helping students reach internal voices by removing external factors/voices beginning
earlier.
– Pizzolato (2003): High risk students do not have access to information on higher education.
• Recommendation 2:
– Clasen (2006): “Programs for middle school youth need time to address normal adolescent issues, such as
peer pressure, while concurrently addressing talent development and an academic orientation. Further,
trust among staff, students, and teachers also takes time to develop”.
• Recommendation 3:
– Perry, Liu & Pabian (2010): Parental career support along with teacher support had a significant direct effect
on career preparation and desire to continue into higher education.

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 Group Reflection
• Challenges:
1. Family Engagement incorporation
2. Finding research utilizing and stating self-authorship
• Highlights:
1. Working together on this topic helped us define our own self
authorship and bring our experiences together to create this project.
2. Having the experience to put theory to practice and creating an
action plan that could help the underrepresented students in the
SUYI.
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 Conclusion
• The term self-authorship can be defined in many ways and
learning to be okay with that fluidity is key to supporting
students on their journey.
• Best practices are important and can be used to guide us but
not should necessarily dictate the entire program.
• Being aware of what opportunities are around us that can
help support our program to avoid duplication of services.

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 References
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Abes, E. S., & Jones, S. R. (2004). Meaning-making capacity and the dynamics of lesbian college students; multiple dimensions of identity. Journal of college student development, 45(6), 612-632.

Adam, M. (2003, Jan 27). Getting from high school to college: Process flawed for urban minorities; an ACT policy report. The Hispanic Outlook in Higher Education, 13, 30.

Aidman, B., & Malerba, C. (2017). Assessing the Effects of a Community-Based College Preparation Program on the Academic Performance and Noncognitive Factors of Middle School Students. Urban Education, 52(8), 986-1018.

Alvarez, D., & Mehan, H. (2006). Whole-School Detracking: A Strategy for Equity and Excellence. Theory Into Practice, 45(1), 82-89.

Badertsche, E.M., Clark, L.M., & Napp,C. (2013). African American Mathematics Teachers as Agents in Their African American Students’ Mathematics Identity Formation. Teachers College Record, 115(2), 1-36.

Barrio Logan College Institute. Parent Involvement. Retrieved from https://www.blci.org/parent-involvement/

Bennett, P., Lutz, A., & Jayaram, L. (2012). Beyond the Schoolyard: The Role of Parenting Logics, Financial Resources, and Social Institutions in the Social Class Gap in Structured Activity Participation. Sociology of Education, 85(2), 131-157.

Carolan-Silva, A., & Reyes, J. R. (2013). Navigating the Path to College: Latino Students’ Social Networks and Access to College. Educational Studies, 49(4), 334-359. doi:10.1080/00131946.2013.808199

Carolina college advising corps (2017). Retrieved from https://carolinacollegeadvisingcorps.unc.edu/

Calaff, K. P. (2008). Supportive schooling: Practices that support culturally and linguistically diverse students; preparation for college. National Association of Secondary School Principals. NASSP Bulletin, 92(2), 95-110.

Chase, P. A., Hilliard, L. J., John Geldhof, G., Warren, D. J., A., & Lerner, R. M. (2014). Academic Achievement in the High School Years: The Changing Role of School Engagement. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 43(6), 884-96.

Clasen, D. R. (2006). Project STREAM: A 13-year follow-up of a pre-college program for middle- and high-school underrepresented gifted. Roeper Review, 29(1), 55-63.

College access for all middle school – office of equity and access, (2012). Retrieved from https://oea.nyc/college-access-for-all-middle-school/

College Forward (2017). Our approach – college forward. Retrieved from http://collegeforward.org/approach/

Cook-Sather, A. (2007). What would happen if we treated students as those with opinions that matter? the benefits to principals and teachers of supporting youth engagement in school. National Association of Secondary School Principals. NASSP Bulletin, 91(4), 343- 362.

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Garfield High School Key Facts and Demographics. (2015). Retrieved November 30, 2017, from http://public-schools.startclass.com/l/97360/Garfield-High-School-in-Seattle-Washington

George Mwangi, C. A. (2015). (Re)Examining the role of family and community in college access and choice: A metasynthesis. Review Of Higher Education, 39(1), 123- 151.

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Inversant (2015). Our Families. Retrieved from http://www.inversant.org/our-families

Le, V., Mariano, L. T., & Faxon-Mills, S. (2015). Can College Outreach Programs Improve College Readiness? The Case of the College Bound, St. Louis Program. Research in Higher Education 57(3), 261-287.

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 References Continued
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Magolda, M. B. (2008). Three Elements of Self-Authorship. Journal of College Student Development 49(4), 269-284. The Johns Hopkins University Press.

Martinez, M. A., Hamilton, M., Castañeda, E., Francis, L.,IV, & Corcoran, A. (2015). Helping diminish the college knowledge and access divide: Development of a college outreach camp to serve community needs. Journal of Community Engagement and Scholarship, 8(2), 86-96.

McKillip, M. E. M., Godfrey, K. E., & Rawls, A. (2013). Rules of engagement: Building a college-going culture in an urban school. Urban Education, 48(4), 529.

Messer, R., (2017). BELIEF (Because Every Life is Empowering the Future). Retrieved from https://www.whitworth.edu/cms/administration/dornsife-center-for-community-engagement/belief/

Ng, Jennifer, Wolf-Wendel, Lisa, & Lombardi, Karen. (2014). Pathways from Middle School to College: Examining the Impact of an Urban, Precollege Preparation Program. Education and Urban Society, 46(6), 672-698.

Perry, J. C., Liu, X., & Pabian, Y. (2010). School Engagement as a Mediator of Academic Performance Among Urban Youth: The Role of Career Preparation, Parental Career Support, and Teacher Support. Counseling Psychologist, 38(2), 269-295.

Pizzolato, J. E. (2003). Developing self-authorship: Exploring the experiences of high-risk college students. Journal of college student development, 44(6), 797-812.

Pizzolato, J. E. (2004). Coping with conflict: Self-authorship, coping, and adaptation to college in first-year, high-risk students. Journal of College Student Development, 45(4), 425-442.

Resources for Local Families and Residents. (2017). Retrieved November 30, 2017, from https://www.seattleu.edu/cce/local-families/

Rios-Aguilar, C., & Kiyama, J. M. (2012). Funds of Knowledge: An Approach to Studying Latina(o) Students; Transition to College. Journal Of Latinos; Education, 11(1), 2-16. doi:10.1080/15348431.2012.631430

Salas, B. (2016). College knowledge as cultural capital: Reshaping parental involvement to increase college attainment. Harvard Journal of Hispanic Policy, 28, 93-104.

Student Success and Outreach. (2017). Retrieved November 30, 2017, from https://www.seattleu.edu/student-outreach/

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UW Dream Project. (2017). How does Dream Project work? Retrieved November 30, 2017, from https://www.washington.edu/dreamproject/about/how/

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Wickrama, K. A., S., Simons, L. G., & Baltimore, D. (2012). The influence of ethnicity and adverse life experiences during adolescence on young adult socioeconomic attainment: The moderating role of education. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 41(11), 1472-87.

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Yonkers-Talz, K. (2004). A learning partnership. Learning partnerships: Theories and models of practice to educate for selfauthorship, 151-184.

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