ABSTRACT
This chapter reports the trends and patterns in self-evolution that emerged from longitudinal analyses of self-evolution assessments. The chapter opens with a discussion of methodological challenges associated with capturing such patterns and how these were addressed. This is followed by findings that reflect the direction and extent of observed changes in self-evolution over the 4-year study, resulting in the identification of five change groups (Modest Development, Moderate Development, Substantial Development, Stasis, and Regression). Findings for all patterns are reported by five race/ethnicity groups (Asian American Pacific Islander, Black, Latinx, White, and Multiracial) and two gender groups (women and men). A striking 81% of students developed during college, a trend extending across all student subgroups. However, fewer than half experienced Moderate or Substantial Development, very few became self-authoring, and about 20% experienced Stasis or Regression during college. Subgroup differences across the change groups raised questions about whether all students received access to appropriate and sufficient supports from their institutions to develop. In light of these mixed findings, this chapter concludes with a discussion of the complexities of development revealed through these analyses and the authors’ reflections and insights about the picture of development their findings reveal.
