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Student Development in College: Theory, Research, and Practice (3rd Edition) Lori D. Patton, Kristen A. Renn, Florence M. Guido, and Stephen J. Quaye San Francisco, CA: John Wiley & Sons, 2016, 536 pages, $75.00 (hardcover), $60.99 (e-book)
Student Development in College provides a comprehensive overview of student development theory for graduate students and professionals. Each iteration of the text has guided the trajectory of the field, and the release of its 3rd edition is no exception. Patton, Renn, Guido, and Quaye's edition is a major reworking with substantial additions and revisions. While some departures from established conventions of student development theory may be jarring, as is forewarned by Evans in her preface, this fully reconsidered edition aligns with the contemporary practice of faculty and administrators and serves to advance thought, practice, and inquiry of student affairs.
As with previous editions, readers are provided with a review of student development theory designed for students, faculty, and practitioners. The edition remains a strong introductory text and improves upon the utility of previous iterations of Student Development in College as a reference tool beyond the graduate school classroom. Among the most notable changes from previous editions, readers will find a reorganization in the presentation of student development theories. Departing from the chronological tradition, this edition instead arranges theories according to conceptual and scholarly relevance. Most apparent is the expanded and prioritized attention paid to social identity theory, introduced through critical epistemologies and frameworks. Patton et al. challenge the reader beyond general comprehension of theory, and implores engagement with paradigmatic assumptions and a metacognitive practice of thinking with and about theory.
Divided into four parts, part 1 presents strategies for using and translating student development theory. Chapter 1 prioritizes the development of the reader's vocabulary, provides historical context, and introduces relevant applications of theory. Chapter 2, a notable expansion in the 3rd edition, engages the significance of world view in student development theory, and surveys a number of epistemological frameworks. Consistent with the edition's investment in concepts of power, privilege, and oppression, the epistemological survey includes discussion of Critical Race Theory, Black Feminism, Postcolonialism, Poststructuralism, and Queer...