Student Status

Graduate

Abstract

College students face a multitude of challenges that incorporate the need to think critically, explore potentials and interests, detect which path to follow, and develop intercultural maturity. Consequently, aiming at navigating life complexity, universities’ learning outcomes are required to correspond to epistemological, intrapersonal, and interpersonal dimensions of development, whose integration constitute what developmental theorists term self-authorship. The purpose of this research study was to examine the impact of college students’ engagement in community based extra-curricular activities on the development of their self-authorship. To achieve this, participants were recruited from three categories of extra-curricular activities practiced at a transnational university in Egypt. Purposive sampling technique was employed for choosing students who are active in a local community service or an on-campus cultural club/organization or who have travelled to volunteer in a community service project abroad. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with thirty students from various majors and academic years. Findings showed that the impact of students’ involvement in these activities encompassed five main themes: embracing difference, self -awareness, local/ glocal altruistic responsibility, inner epistemological validation, and pillaring one’s self and the other. Additionally, results revealed the emergence of an inner voice guiding the construction of knowledge, identity, and social relations. These findings emphasize required endeavors by higher education stakeholders to consider practices that have the potential of promoting university students’ self-authorship.

Department

International & Comparative Education Department

First Advisor

Dr. Jennifer Skaggs

Committee Member 1

Dr. Jennifer Skaggs

Committee Member 2

Dr. Russanne Hozayin

Extent

117 p.

Institutional Review Board (IRB) Approval

Approval has been obtained for this item

Download

Share

COinS