The Q-List:  A Faculty Fellows Research Agenda for the Profession  

Student Development and Evolving Student Populations

The changing profile of today's students prompts us to critically assess our work. We wonder if our theories or preferred explanations are sufficiently accommodating of their emerging characteristics. New approaches and definitions of success warrant a new agenda of student development research, as illustrated in the following exemplars.

1. What generational shifts have occurred among American college students over the last few decades? Are our current theories on how students develop into more complex human beings (i.e. "more developed" individuals tend to be better citizens, more complex thinkers, more concerned with the welfare of others, etc.) relevant for current students? What new developmental concerns does this new generation present to us?
2. How can we better understand the unique developmental paths, for example, of Asian-American, Latino/a, African American, LGBTQ, Native American and multiracial students?
3. What student development factors and dimensions are insufficiently addressed in the literature (e.g., role of spirituality and/or religion and the evolving family structure) and what role do they play in current college students' development? Does their importance vary among differing student populations? How do they contribute to student success?