Journal of College Student Development

Self-authorship has remained a seminal concept in developmental theory over the last several decades, describing a process in which individuals seek to achieve "the internal capacity to define [their own] beliefs, identity, and social relations" (Baxter Magolda, 2001, p. 269). As development occurs, individuals progress from external to internal making-making within cognitive, interpersonal, and intrapersonal domains (Baxter Magolda, 2007; Kegan, 1994). Baxter Magolda (2007) noted that an increased capacity for internal meaning-making promotes 21st-century learning outcomes important in both college and adult life, such as the development of "effective citizenship, critical thinking and complex problem solving, interdependent relations with diverse others, and mature decision making" (p. 69). And yet, as a theory of development originating from a constructivist lens, self-authorship has certain inherent limitations. By centering individuals, particularly those with dominant identities, inadequate attention has been paid to how systems of power and privilege impact and shape student development and mediate access to opportunities that promote such development (Abes et al., 2019). Thoughtful approaches contributing to the evolution of self-authorship theory that consider the current third wave of critical approaches to student development theory are essential.

Colleges and universities have recently focused more attention on incorporating high-impact practices into their curricula, often under the auspices of the potential benefits such practices have for developmental growth and student success (Lange & Stewart, 2019). Outdoor adventure education represents an experiential practice where students can extend their learning beyond the more traditional, heavily structured classroom environment. However, due to access and inclusion barriers, students with one or more intersecting marginalized identities remain less likely to participate in these activities (Warren et al., 2014). Additionally, the lack of empirical studies examining such experiences makes it less likely for higher education institutions to invest resources in high-impact outdoor programs (Lange & Stewart, 2019).

Our study investigated extreme cases of self-guided experiential learning by drawing on the experiences of three college students who took a semester's leave to backpack the entirety of the Appalachian Trail. The purposes of our exploratory study were twofold: (a) to more deeply understand developmental dynamics within self-authorship theory, particularly in how self-guided experiential learning [End Page 95] opportunities might contribute to such development, and (b) to situate these insights by exploring what they might mean within more critical contexts.

The longstanding assumption within self-authorship theory that developmental growth requires facing challenges and having access to fixed systems of support necessitates further consideration. As Barber and King (2014) noted, "the equation Challenge + Support = Development commonly used to capture this relationship is too simplistic" (p. 445). Observing college students face serious challenges in a self-guided, peer-sustained manner provides a valuable opportunity to more fully understand this relationship and why it might lead to moments of growth within internal meaning-making. King et al. (2022) noted that reflective practices may be an essential mediating component contributing to self-authorship development. Our study built on this potentiality, suggesting that outdoor experiences—wherein opportunities for reflection are integral—are critical to explore further. We conclude this article with implications for future research, with an eye toward exploring how to make such opportunities more widely available and inclusive.