Papers by Marcia Mentkowski
A series of studies that investigated the validity of abilities learned in college for later care... more A series of studies that investigated the validity of abilities learned in college for later career and professional work are summarized. After describing the rationale for validating outcome-centered higher education curricula, the following types of measures for program evaluation and outcome validation are discussed: performance measures of general abilities, cognitive-developmental measures based on developmental theory, learning style measures based on experiential learning theory, and students' views on the outcomes of college. Attention is also directed to the framework of research at Alverno College, including: the types of student abilities, outcome definitions, performance evaluation, student and alumnae outcomes, and validity assumptions. The research methodology is described with attention to the sample, the validation model, longitudinal and cross-sectional approaches, the input of students and faculty/professionals, and the research instruments. Additional attention is focused on outcomes of the college experience and the relationship of outcomes to the world of work. Major study findings are summarized, and dissemination of the results is discussed. Abstracts of the 10 research reports in this series are appended. (SW)
The effect of an ability-based curriculum on student development was studied at Alverno College, ... more The effect of an ability-based curriculum on student development was studied at Alverno College, a liberal arts women's college. Data were obtained from 990 participants representing students, alumnae, and working professionals who were not Alverno students. Sixteen research instruments were administered to a sample of 200 students over their 4 years of study; interviews were conducted with 80 students; and intensive study was undertaken with 60 individuals when they were seniors and 2 years later when they were alumnae. In addition, 100 corporate managers and 80 nurses were studied. The following results are discussed: students learn complex abilities, students become self-sustaining learners, students identified curricular elements most important to their learning, students came to value liberal learning, students changed on measures of personal growth, changes included broad generic abilities, student learning styles changed dramatically, students developed moral sophisticati...
Two professional education associations provide leadership by clarifying directions for scholarly... more Two professional education associations provide leadership by clarifying directions for scholarly inquiry at their annual meeting. The research agenda covers teaching, assessment, collaborative learning/student learning, critical thinking, liberal education/general education, and voluntary service. (Author/MLW)
![Research paper thumbnail of Careering After College: Establishing the Validity of Abilities Learned in College for Later Careering and Professional Performance. Final Report to the National Institute of Education. Overview and Summary. [Revised.]](https://attachments.academia-assets.com/45720885/thumbnails/1.jpg)
The validity of skills developed in college to subsequent career performance was studied at Alver... more The validity of skills developed in college to subsequent career performance was studied at Alverno College. The study sample included over 750 women students, over 60 alumnae, over 80 women nurses and over 100 women managers and executives from the Milwaukee community. Attention was directed to: whether the competencies and assessment techniques of the learning process are valid; how students change on college outcomes (i.e., cognitive aptitude, learning styles, and generic abilities); whether outcomes are mirrored in students' perceptions of their learning and abilities; how outcomes learned in college relate to lifelong learning, abilities, careering, and professional development after college; and the competencies that describe the performance and perceptions of outstanding professionals. Specifically, the outcomes of attending Alverno College were evaluated, with attention to the curriculum, student changes in performance on college-defined abilities, and personal growth ou...
New Directions for Institutional Research, 2011
Perhaps you have had the experience of talking to faculty about the ups and downs of their studen... more Perhaps you have had the experience of talking to faculty about the ups and downs of their students' achievement, and hearing them describe what they consider good work. Almost inevitably, such conversation will include phrases like "She got it all together," "He used material from prior courses to frame his research," "She applied what she learned earlier this term to analyze a new problem or situation," "His portfolio showed he could reflect on his evolution as a learner over time," or "She has a real sense of herself as a liberally educated person who serves and leads." Our experience tells us that faculty from quite different fields often use very similar language to describe this "getting it all together and using it" and have long debated factors in their teaching or curricula that can make more of "it" happen for more students.
New Directions for Institutional Research, 1985
A multifaceted assessment process allows the development of each student to be observed and impro... more A multifaceted assessment process allows the development of each student to be observed and improved as she moves through the curriculum. A corresfionding evaluation process allows the content of curricula to be ualtdated against external, real-world standards.
The Journal of Higher Education, 1992
... How did we reach such a state? And what can be done about it? ASSESSMENT AND EDUCATIONAL EXCE... more ... How did we reach such a state? And what can be done about it? ASSESSMENT AND EDUCATIONAL EXCELLENCE Most of us who serve as higher education faculty or administrators would agree that we are committed to promoting the "excellence" of our Page 23. ...
Arts and Humanities in Higher Education, 2003
Involvement and critique from educators in dialogue with researchers is a vital element for achie... more Involvement and critique from educators in dialogue with researchers is a vital element for achieving clarity about what research will benefit educational policy and practice. With that aim, the American Association for Higher Education (AAHE) Research Forum has been regularly convened at AAHE's annual conference to create a research agenda around the conference theme since 1985. This year, within a conference addressing `Good Work in Challenging Times' the Forum involved individuals committed to collaborative scholarship on good work in teaching and learning-centered contexts. Through two conference sessions, educational practitioners engaged in lively and intellectually challenging small-group discussions about the scholarship of `good work.' In this way, session participants were involved in creating the research agenda given in this article.
ABSTRACT The question of whether students change in broad abilities indicative of human potential... more ABSTRACT The question of whether students change in broad abilities indicative of human potential for cognitive-development, learning styles, and other generic abilities was studied at Alverno College. An additional study objective was to determine whether such change can be attributed to performance in a performance-based curriculum, rather than age, background factors, and program characteristics. Over 750 students participated in the longitudinal and cross-sectional studies by completing a battery of 12 instruments with developmental characteristics, and which employed both recognition and production tasks. The instruments were drawn from cognitive-developmental theory, experiential learning theory, and competence assessment. Cognitive-developmental and learning style measures were better indicators of change than were the generic ability measures, and recognition measures showed more change than did the production measures. The effects of the learning process on student change were more evident during the last 2 years of college. Students demonstrated intellectual ability and socioemotional maturity at entrance to college, and these abilities were integrated by graduation. The findings indicate that change is measurable, and that broad outcomes of college can be specified and assessed. (Author/SW)
Book Chapters and Book by Marcia Mentkowski
Oxford Handbooks Online, 2011
APA PsycNET Our Apologies! - The following features are not available with your current Browser c... more APA PsycNET Our Apologies! - The following features are not available with your current Browser configuration. - alerts user that their session is about to expire - display, print, save, export, and email selected records - get My ...
Articles and Papers by Marcia Mentkowski
Forum on Public Policy a Journal of the Oxford Round Table, Jun 22, 2010
We argue that (1) faculty and other academic professionals who educate undergraduate women in cap... more We argue that (1) faculty and other academic professionals who educate undergraduate women in capabilities such as effective communication, teamwork, and leadership that are integrated with the disciplines (e.g., biology, history, fine arts) and professions (e.g., education, nursing, management) indirectly assist their students to confront gender discrimination and contribute to equity, and that (2) the educational effect transfers afterward to alumnae performance in the professional workplace. Longitudinal data were collected over ten years from students in a college for women. Prior findings from this study are re-interpreted in relation to gender equity. Five years after college (based on externally-derived models for coding performance interview events and questionnaires), a majority of women alumnae demonstrated at least one of four ability factors that challenge gender discrimination: Collaborative Organizational Thinking and Action, Balanced Self Assessment and Acting from Values, Development of Others and Perspective-Taking, and Analytical Thinking and Action.
Lee and Snarey (1988) found that the relationship between moral (MJI) and ego development (SCT) c... more Lee and Snarey (1988) found that the relationship between moral (MJI) and ego development (SCT) changed across the life-span. Mentkowski and Associates (2000) found factorial evidence that affirmed Loevinger’s position that moral development is an inseparable aspect of a single ego development process. Using Lee and Snarey’s assumptions of scale comparability, a secondary analysis of ten years of longitudinal change observed in the Alverno Longitudinal Study did not replicate their findings for increasing moral primacy (MJI greater than SCT). Ego-moral difference scores are theoretically questionable. Moral and ego development appear to be entangled constructs, complementary representations of the development of the moral self.
Higher Education Research & …, Jan 1, 2004
This study demonstrates how academic faculty members are able to connect an undergraduate liberal... more This study demonstrates how academic faculty members are able to connect an undergraduate liberal arts and professions curriculum with the demonstrated performance of multidimensional and complex abilities by five‐year alumnae in professional, civic and ...
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Papers by Marcia Mentkowski
Book Chapters and Book by Marcia Mentkowski
Articles and Papers by Marcia Mentkowski