Case Studies for Student Development Theory

Part One: Introduction






Considerations for Student Development Theory



Using Case Studies to Move Theory to Practice
Part Two: Social Identity Development




Students' Racial Identity Development by Christa J. Porter
Case Study One. Challenging Complicity: (Not) Confronting Racism in Racially-Themed Parties by Lauren Irwin and Alex Lange

Case Study Two. Navigating Racial Tensions at a Minority Serving Institution: Creating Affirming and Validating Environments for Students by Raquel Wright-Mair and Cathy Akens

Case Study Three. "I'm a Good Person, I Just Say Out of Politics": A Case Exploring Racial Identity, Social Class, and Moral Development by Alex Kappus, Stephen Deaderick, Smita Ruzicka, and Andrew Wilson

Case Study Four. "But We're Not One of the Bad Ones": White Racial Innocence and Identity Development in a Service-Learning Context by Zak Foste and Antonio Duran




Ethnicity, Acculturation, and Student Development by Jessica C. Harris
Case Study One. "What's Your Name?" New Student Orientation by Amber Gonzalez

Case Study Two. Being Black and Immigrant: A Foreigner to Some, and An Outsider to Others by Dayne Hutchinson and Dawn Ogali

Case Study Three. Love over Chai: Navigating Intercultural Conversations and Development by Emma Larkins and Faran Saeed




Students' Sexual Identity Development by Jason C. Garvey
Case Study One. Undocuqueer: Coming out of the closet and shadows by Jesus Cisneros

Case Study Two. "It's the Intersections That Get Sticky": Navigating Ethnic and Sexual Identities by Mike Hoffshire and Louise Michelle Vital

Case Study Three. It's Not All Rainbows and Unicorns: Sexual Identity and Ability in Residence Life by Tony Cawthon and Rachel Wagner




Gender and Gender Identity Development for Students by Christa J. Porter and Jason C. Garvey
Case Study One. Seeking Belongingness: Race, Gender, and Being Trans "Enough" by Mark Chung Kwan Fan, Dolan, and Erin-Kate Escobar

Case Study Two. "I need to pump!": Motherhood Receptiveness and Lactation Accommodation in Higher Education by Cindy Phu

Case Study Three. Transness=/=Sameness: Navigating Gendered Intersections, Saliencies, and Leadership by T.J. Jourian




Spirituality and Religion and Student Development by Darris R. Means
Case Study One. Creating Space for Support and Expression of Diverse Worldviews: A Case Exploring Religious Identity Development by Shauna Morin, Zak Foste, Matthew Mayhew, and Alyssa Rockenbach

Case Study Two. "They're Ruining My Culture...I think": Examining the Nuances of Multiple Worldview Identities by Amanda Armstrong and Jim Barber

Case Study Three. Can I Be Both? Exploring the Intersections of Religious, Spiritual, and Sexual Identities by Darris R. Means and Rosemary J. Perez




Disability Identities and Student Development by Rosemary J. Perez
Case Study One. What is Normal? Understanding Disability Identity Development by Stephani Womack, Melissa Dempsey, and Darren Jones

Case Study Two. Unlocking the Doors: Overlapping Identities within Black Deaf Communities by Liann Osborne, Lissa Stapleton, Jaleesa Herrington, and Ashlea Hayes

Case Study Three. Shifting Identities after a Cancer Diagnosis by Erica Lee, Dena Kneiss, and Tony Cawthon




Social Class and Student Development by Darris R. Means
Case Study One. Negotiating Space and Relationships as a First-Generation, Working Class College Student by Sonja Ardoin, Ashley Clayton, becky martinez, and David Nguyen

Case Study Two. "We are Definitely Not Privileged": White and Working Class at a Community College by Nicholas Tapia-Fuselier

Case Study Three. Bowties and Belonging: Navigating Race, Social Class, and Student Staff Recruitment by Matthew Smith, Ariana Mollers, Johanna Ilyssa Padrid-Dykman, and Georgianna Martin

Case Study Four. College Student Development and the Complex Intersections of Class, Race, and Gender by Avery Olson




Additional Theoretical Perspectives on Students' Identities by Jessica C. Harris
Case Study One. Complicating the Intersections of Class, Race, and Generation Status by Lamesha Andrews and Patrice French

Case Study Two. Resources, Advocacy and Support for Student Veterans by W. Patrice Brown

Case Study Three. "Welcome Home?": Living Between Cultures for Third-Culture Kids in College by Carrie Kortegast

Part Three: Psychosocial, Cognitive-Structural, and Integrative Development




Psychosocial Development for Students by Christa J. Porter
Case Study One. Culturally-Based Celebrations: Honoring Diverse Experiences of Mixed Race Students by Megan Bell and Patty Witkowsky

Case Study Two. One of Few: Campus Turmoil Leads to Personal Doubt by Teresita Alvarez-Cortez and Carina Buzo

Case Study Three. The Promotion: Examining the Intersections of Psychological Identity Development, Moral Development, and Self Authorship by Daniel Calhoun, Steven Tolman, and Brandin Howard

Case Study Four. Challenging White Nationalism through Friendship: The Power of Peers by Kathleen Manning




Epistemological and Intellectual Development for Students by Jason C. Garvey
Case Study One. Finding Your Voice, Finding Yourself: Examining the Complex Interplay of Intellectual and Racial Identity Development by Alex Boesch, Emily Hagan-Howe, Beverly Colston, and Annie Valentine

Case Study Two. What is Too Loud? Music Meets Intellectual Development in the Residence Hall by Stacy A. Jacob and Sammie Walker

Case Study Three. Sorority Traditions: Preservation or Evolution? by Matt Johnson




Students' Moral Development by Rosemary J. Perez and Jessica C. Harris
Case Study One. "The Lady Doth Protest Too Much": Moral Development at the Intersection of Religion and Sexuality by Drew Ashby-King, Karen Boyd, and Tony Cawthon

Case Study Two. Accusations of Cheating in Arabic Studies: Navigating Family, Culture, and Responsibility by Michael Goodman

Case Study Three. Black or Blue? Exploring Whose Lives Matter While Balancing the Complexities of Identity and Morality by Tynesha McCullers and Aaron Hood




Students Development of Self Authorship by Rosemary J. Perez
Case Study One. "It's (not) in the Syllabus!" Self-Authorship and Transitions for Military Connected Students by Jessica Belue Buckley, Heather Turner, Meghan Pifer, and Ralph Allan Cook, Jr.

Case Study Two. Triple Outsider: Experiencing Black Motherhood in Graduate School at a PWI by Deniece Dortch and Dianne Delima

Case Study Three. "You're Either Down, or You're Not!": Self-authorship and Student Activism by Lincoln Wesley Harris, Jr.

Part Four: Reflecting on Moving Student Development Theory to Practice




Conclusion: Moving Beyond Case Analysis to Advance Social Justice and Inclusion