Article

The Discipline Future Selves of Higher Education Students: A Shared Understanding?

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Abstract

Growing interest in future possible selves in higher education research, vital for identity-based motivation, underlies this mixed-method study. Discipline future selves (DFS), shaped through interactions with significant others, vary among students due to their socially constructed nature. As a result, educators could encounter challenges in delivering relevant course material for the DFS of all students. They also play a key role in further developing students' DFS. A quantitative inquiry assessed the alignment between course material and students' DFS, revealing that most content is relevant for students' DFS. A qualitative investigation focused on how educators engaged with DFS, focusing on defining the discipline as well as on distinctions and communalities between students. Here, there are distinctions between universities and university colleges. The university educators in this study tended to neglect students' DFS, while university colleges discussed communalities but overlooked individualities in DFS. This study emphasizes the importance of understanding and engaging with students' future possible selves in higher education, offering practical implications for educators.

Keywords: Future Possible Selves, Optimal Distinctiveness Theory, Idenity, Higher Education

How to Cite:

Schepers, K., Clement, M., Foulon, V., Van den Mooter, G., Craps, S., van Boom, M., Langie, G. & Buelens, H., (2026) “The Discipline Future Selves of Higher Education Students: A Shared Understanding?”, Journal of Effective Teaching in Higher Education 8(1), 3–24. doi: https://doi.org/10.5149/jethe.1664