Perry's Intellectual Scheme: Cognitive Development of College Students
1. Terminology
1.1. Position
1.1.1. Term selected because "position" makes no assumptions about duration; Implies vantage point of student; may represent a central tendency in meaning making
1.2. Authorities
1.2.1. Authorities = possessors of the right answers in Absolute (uppercase for both "A" words authorities = relativistic world, authority from power, expertise, training, wisdom, experience and position (lower case "a")
1.3. Absolute
1.3.1. Absolute synonymous with Truth --> unchanging, universal, timeless facts and knowledge. (purposely using upper case to emphasize attributes)
1.4. Adherence & Opposition
1.4.1. Based on relationship with Authorities: Adherent align with Authorities Opposed set themselves apart from Authorities
1.5. Alternatives to Growth: means of forward progress through scheme
1.5.1. Temporizing: hesitating to take next step, unwilling to proceed
1.5.2. Retreat: movement back to relative safety and security
1.5.3. Escape: easier to remain in relativistic stance, instead of making commitments and choices
1.5.4. Functional regression (Knefelkamp (1999): backward move that involved sense making to reorient and then progress
2. Nine Positions of Cognitive Development
3. Saliency & Use Today
3.1. Still valid today: Kurfiss (1975, 1977); King & Kitchener (1994), Magolda (1992)
3.1.1. Why? movement from right/wrong binary only world to one with multiple valid viewpoints
3.2. Sociohistorical Context
3.2.1. 1950s & 19602: turbulent, diminished respect of Authorities - Civil Rights, assassinations, question government and parents
3.3. Changes in College Students
3.3.1. Homogenicty, 18-22 years old, male, upper-middle class, white, single (usually), full-time status, non working, without children, two-parent families Today's student population: remarkedly diverse in terms of geneder, race, ethnicity, age, class, ability and life circumstances
4. Background of Author
4.1. Professor of Education
4.2. Counselor
4.3. Harvard
5. Motivation for Study
5.1. Since World War II
5.1.1. Relativism in Society
5.1.2. Diversity on Campus
5.1.2.1. Geographic in nature
5.2. Wanted to comprehend how students came to understand the "modern" world though multiple frames of reference
6. Initial Study Population
6.1. Population
6.1.1. White
6.1.2. Elite
6.1.3. Male
6.2. Method
6.2.1. Interviews
6.2.1.1. Start interview with question: What stands out for you from the past year?
6.3. Compiled results, total of 464 interviews; 84 sets of four-year complete interviews
6.3.1. Conclusion: 1) While content varied, underlying structures of meaning making AND sequence of development were equivalent AND 2) Differences were due to different aspects of developmental process
6.4. Project
6.4.1. 15 years of interview collection
6.4.2. Involved 30 people executing the research protocol.
7. Advanced previous work of:
7.1. Piaget
7.1.1. Beyond Age 15
7.1.2. New Awareness of Self
7.1.2.1. Balance w/external influences
7.1.3. Differentiated awareness of environment