AT a Crossroad: Moving Toward Self-Authorship on the Appalachian Trail

• In Event: Student Learning and Development: Self-Authorship and Reflection

Abstract

Utilizing qualitative methods including audio diaries and semi-structured interviews, this longitudinal study not only explores how college students experience thru-hiking the Appalachian Trail, but also how they make meaning of their growth during a semester’s leave prompted by Covid-19. Few studies have explored the potential of immersive experiential opportunities as developmentally effective experiences that can facilitate college students’ progress toward self-authorship. Using thematic analysis and following an interpretive phenomenological approach, preliminary findings indicate that this immersive experience enables students to make meaningful gains within their interpersonal, intrapersonal, and cognitive development. Implications of this study can inform the design of innovative high-impact co-curricular practices that increase student engagement, learning, and internal meaning-making within self-guided experiential contexts.

Authors

• Patrick F. Conway, Boston College

• Kathy Chau Rohn, University of Connecticut