ABSTRACT
This chapter explores the experiences reported by Wabash National Study (WNS) participants that promoted the development of self-authorship. The authors first provide an overview of developmentally effective experiences (DEEs). They then describe the roles of challenge and support in contributing to participants’ use of more complex meaning-making structures by using illustrative examples from the contexts in which participants most frequently reported having meaningful experiences (i.e., academic and co-curricular contexts). Finally, the authors examine patterns in DEEs by self-authorship journey, race/ethnicity, and gender groups. Their findings indicate that approximately one-third of participants’ experiences were DEEs and that those who demonstrated more growth tended to have more DEEs. However, the relationship between DEEs and development is not linear, since participants in the stasis and regression change groups also had DEEs. The authors also found that, on average, White students tended to have more DEEs than racially minoritized students, and women tended to have more DEEs than men. To conclude the chapter, the authors explore how educators may promote the development of self-authorship and opportunities for future inquiry.
