Self-authorship in Egyptian first year students

Self-authorship has, in recent years, emerged as a leading theory in understanding cognitive, social and interpersonal development of undergraduate students, and how this process impacts learning. This mixed methods study explored the manifestations of self-authorship in Egyptian students who have completed a first year program in an American liberal arts university in Egypt, in order to understand how these students experience the process of self-authorship, and what they identify as significant curricular experiences that foster this process. The findings identified various cultural and environmental impacts that characterize the development of self-authorship in this population of students, including political turmoil, diverse sub-cultures and intergenerational family obligations. Pedagogical recommendations for enhancement of this process in the first year are made. Directions for future research include the need for further study of the self-authorship development of students in this region of the world, and the investigation of the cultural and environmental factors that impact this process