Sanford's theory of challenge and support
Sanford's theory of challenge and support states that for optimal student developmental growth in a college environment, challenges they experience must be met with supports that can sufficiently tolerate the stress of the challenge itself.[9] Nevitt Sanford, a psychologist, was a scholar who theorized about the process college students would encounter throughout their college development.[10] He addressed the relationship between the student and their college environment. Sanford proposed three developmental conditions: readiness, challenge, and support.[9]
- Readiness refers to internal processes associated with maturation or beneficial environmental factors. This condition of readiness can aid a student's developmental growth if he or she is physically or psychologically ready. If not, it could limit their developmental growth.
- Challenge refers to situations in which an individual does not have the skills, knowledge, or attitude to cope.
- Support refers to buffers in the environment that help the individual to successfully meet challenges. Sanford speculated that if students are met with too much challenge, they could regress in their developmental growth and give up on the challenge at hand.
For example, in a review by the University of California, Los Angeles, Chaves discussed the juggling of multiple challenges that adult student learners encounter such as integration into an institution, commuting to campus, social integration, and absence from school for a number of years that cause adult student learners to regress in their time to graduation or not graduate at all.[11]
If students are met with excessive support, they may not understand what they need and their development would be limited. For example, in a qualitative study grounded in constructivist theory methodology, Marx concluded that college campuses provided too much support, limiting students' forward movement in their ability to internally define their own beliefs, identity, and relationships during college.[12] In both studies, the research indicated that students were unable to reach optimal developmental growth without the appropriate amount of challenge or support.
It is likely that most students will face an academic, social, or personal challenge during their postsecondary college or university journey. Research shows that challenges are different for traditional age students and adult student learners,[11] various marginalized and majority identity groups,[13] international students,[14] students in specific learning communities,[15] and numerous other characteristics.[9] Research indicates that support for students can be in the form of mentoring and involvement from faculty, staff, family, and peers,[9][11][14][15][16] ability to be involved in meaningful college activity,[9][11] believing they matter,[9][11] and designing their own curriculum or programs,[13][14] among other support options. When challenges are met with appropriate support, students' developmental growth in a college environment is optimal. For example, a longitudinal study conducted by Ong, Phinney, and Dennis examined 123 Latino college students attending an ethnically diverse urban university in southern California.[16] These Latino students faced challenges of being low socioeconomic status (SES), psychological stress, feelings of alienation, and low rates of college retention.[17] However, these students were met with consistent parental support, family interdependence, and an affirmation of their membership in their ethnic group. The support correlated positively to an increased grade point average and greater academic achievement, resilience, and positive adaptation.[16]
Disability Identity Development In College Students
The importance of accommodation for students with disabilities as grown substantially since the turn of the millennium. Disability was once viewed as resulting from a moral lapse, such as poor actions of parents, resulting in having a child with disabilities.[18] Post Secondary institutions historically viewed disability from the lens of the medical model, whether it is curable or incurable by medicine.[18] More recently institutions are beginning to view disability as a limitation of the social and physical environments and not a limitation of the individual.[18] For example, stairs are a limitation for individuals who have mobility issues, but ramps are accessible to individuals with and without a mobility limitation. Refitting institutional design to this view is a result of a change in adopted model of disability.
Stage Models of Disability Identity
Gibson (2006)[19] identified a three staged model to describe the trajectories of disabled students and how they come to understand themselves inclusive of their disability.
Stage 1: Passive Awareness (childhood)
· Individual's medical needs are met however they avoid attention and avoids associating with other disabled individuals.
Stage 2: Realization (Adolescence/ Early Adulthood)
· Begins to view themselves as having a disability and may experience self-hate, and become more socially aware of how their disability impacts the perceptions that others have of them.
Stage 3: Acceptance (Adulthood)
· Begins to understand their differences in a positive way and integrate themselves into the able-bodied world. Will also incorporate other individuals with disabilities into their lives.
These stages can be fluid, meaning movement from one stage to another does not mean it is a permanent move. For students in stage three an event such as moving to on campus residence and have to share a bedroom or bathroom may move them back to stage 2.
Building off of this model proposed by Gibson (2006), Forber-Pratt and Aragon (2013)[20] proposed a four staged model:
Stage 1: Acceptance
· Student undergoes a process of accepting their disability which includes denial, anger, bargaining, depression and eventually acceptance. This includes acceptance of the disability from friends, family, and educators.
Stage 2: Relationship Phase
· Begins to interact with students with disabilities and learn the norms and activities of the group. Creating connection to others with disabilities is the key component of this stage.
Stage 3: Adoption
· Begins to internalize the core values of the disability culture. Being independent by navigating the world and managing personal hygiene and participating in social justice whether this be self advocacy or collective activism.
Stage 4: Giving Back to Community Phase
· Become leaders in disability culture and demonstrate role modelling behaviour for other students with disabilities.