The current study applies the developmental learning theory of Robert Kegan to the community college classroom. In focusing on the work of community college students, the authors will reflect on the observed cognitive abilities of incoming students and proceed to chart their growth as learners. While acknowledging that community college students represent an extremely wide range of age and experience, the authors chose to study “emerging adults,” those students who, in their late teens, are just at the cusp of achieving a complex view of themselves and others. The authors hope to show that such learners stand a much better chance of evolving into complex thinkers and effective problem-solvers when given a support structure (a bridge) to smooth their way.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.