Self-authorship theory and medical education: AMEE Guide No. 98

Responding to the healthcare needs of the twenty-first century is a challenge for medical education, requiring a holistic curriculum that stimulates intellectual growth and facilitates personal development of all learners. Self-authorship theory has a focus on the essential development of cognitive maturity, an integrated identity and mature relationships. The educational application of self-authorship situates learning in the experiences of learners and challenges learners’ current worldview enabling them to take responsibility for their own decisions and actions. Implications for curriculum development and implementation are discussed, including the need to provide a challenging, yet supportive, learning environment. The use of self-authorship theory to inform educational research is also discussed.