Predicting Needs: A Longitudinal Investigation of the Relation between Student Characteristics, Academic Paths, and Self-Authorship

Using a survey of self-authorship (Pizzolato, 2004), this longitudinal study investigated to what extent particular student characteristics (e.g., demographics characteristics, academic preparation characteristics) and the college environment (i.e., academic and living environment) influence self-authorship development. Findings in this exploratory study with 368 undergraduate students suggest that when subscales of self-authorship were explored some student characteristics (e.g., sex, prior academic experiences, being a transfer student) and the college academic environment significantly predicted various subscales of self-authorship development. This research adds to our understanding of the complexity of self-authorship and what contributes to students' development of self-authorship.