This study explores the relationship between organizational and individual characteristics and diversity-related experiences at liberal arts colleges. Compared with their counterparts at other types of institutions, students at liberal arts colleges report more experiences with diversity. In addition, this study also finds that diversity…

The Omnibus Personality Inventory (OPI) was administered to first year adult learners and to traditional age freshmen from the same multicampus university. Older students exhibited more intellectual and social-emotional maturity. Personality functioning of adult learners at the commuter campus was more like that of younger students. (Author)

Identifies the common elements from three popular adult development theories (Gould, Levinson et al., and Sheehy). Synthesizes these elements into a framework for describing development during the young adult years. Defines the concept of developmental transition. Discusses the implications of a composite adult development framework for helping…

A profile of prolific contributors to higher education literature is presented. Exceptional output is associated with academic sponsorship, authentic enjoyment of inquiry activities, facilitating work environments and personal life styles, a capacity for taking advantage of fortuitous opportunities, and an inordinate amount of time and effort…

Students today are different from their counterparts of three and four decades ago. Women have outnumbered men for more than 15 years, and the participation rates for members of historically underrepresented groups have made impressive gains. Many of these "new" students are the first in their families to attend college. It is important that these…

A study attempted to substantiate empirically whether changes occurred in the personality functioning of adult learners and traditional-age students during the first year of college. The Omnibus Personality Inventory and companion questionnaires were administered to randomly selected groups of students from two campuses of a midwestern state…

The extent to which college-related changes in personality functioning persisted between college graduation and 10 years later was studied, and developmental patterns common to 18- and 32-year-old college-educated persons were identified. The relationship between various demographic characteristics linked either empirically or theoretically to…