Marcia has done fascinating research on student development through a longitudinal study of students over a 20 year period. As she tracked students over time, she defined 3 stages of what she calls self-authorship. She argues that it is the responsibility of educators to provide a learning environment that encourages students to work through these stages.
Check out http://www.kent.edu/fpdc/learning-and-teaching/learning-institutes/marcia-baxter-magolda.cfm and click on the link called "Engaged Learning..."