Change in Identity Achievement During the College Years: An HLM (Hierarchical Linear Modeling) Analysis

• In Event: Applying Advanced Models in Noncognitive Assessment

Abstract

Sense of identity can be defined as “a firm sense of who one is, a purpose in life, a clear set of personal values, knowing what one wants out of life and where one is headed, and having personal goals for the future” (Lounsbury 2005, p. 502). A more developed identity has been associated with several desirable outcomes including academic achievement, self-esteem, adaptability, cultural sophistication, and moral reasoning (Archer, 1989; Grotevant, 1987). Thus, it is not surprising that educational researchers are interested in how identity develops in adolescents during college (Meeus, 2011) particularly since college is considered to be an ideal context for identity formation (Nakkula, 2003).

Many studies of identity development use Marcia’s (1966) identity status paradigm that classifies individuals into four categories. For instance, the achievement category is characterized by individuals who have experienced a decision-making period and have committed to an identity based on the exploration of several options. One criticism of the instruments used in measuring identity under this paradigm is the use of open-ended responses, which both introduces measurement error and complicates assessment in large-scale research. A second is the use of a categorical variable to capture identity, which allows for only a crude distinction among individuals and doesn’t permit within category variability. Due to these criticisms, researchers have created Likert scales to measure identity status (e.g., EOM-EIS-II; Bennion & Adams, 1986), most of which provide a score in Marcia’s four categories.

Many of these scales measure identity status by domain (e.g., politics, religion). Lounsbury and colleagues developed the Sense of Identity scale (SoI; Lounsbury & Gibson, 2011) which differs in that identity is measured at a more general (not domain specific) level. The single score resulting from the SoI is most characteristic of the category of achievement. The SoI scale is ideal for large-scale research when a brief measure is needed to capture college students’ levels of general identity achievement. Although several longitudinal studies have examined identity development in college samples, no studies to date have explored the extent to which general identity achievement changes over time.
The present study aims to examine the extent to which SoI changes longitudinally for college students using hierarchical linear modeling (HLM). An advantage of HLM is that both overall and individual variation in change can be modeled. Additionally, the relationship between SoI at the beginning of college and how it changes over time can be captured.

Over 1000 students at a mid-sized southeastern university will respond to the scale at three different time points (i.e., before the starts of college, 45-70 credit hours, >70 credit hours). Data for the first two time points have already been collected and data for the third time point will be collected in Fall 2011 allowing analyses to be fully completed in early Spring 2012. This study will provide insight into how college students’ sense of identity develops as they progress through their college career and will allow the first glimpse of whether general and domain-specific identity achievement develop differently.

Authors

• Kelli Samonte, James Madison University

• Dena A. Pastor, James Madison University