The self-advocacy advantage: Equipping first-year students with essential college navigation skills Academic Article uri icon

Abstract

  • This article presents a practical framework for teaching all first-year college students self-advocacy skills during orientation programming. Grounded in Schlossberg's Transition Theory and the framework of self-advocacy (Test et al., 2005), the program proposes the universal need for students to navigate college environments effectively. The four-component model, which includes knowledge of self, knowledge of rights, communication, and leadership, provides structured yet flexible programming guidelines that support successful college transitions while building lifelong advocacy skills.

Publication Date

  • 2026-06-01