Validation is “an enabling, confirming and supportive process initiated by in- and out-of-class agents that foster academic and interpersonal development” (Rendón, 1994, p. 46). Validating can occur in many different settings, such as in the classroom, at student clubs and organizations, or in the community. Students can receive validation from faculty and staff, peers, family members, friends, or anyone else who may be important to the student. Validation is most powerful at the beginning of a student’s career, such as in the first few weeks of the student’s first year of college. For this reason, Validation Theory is essential to informing first-year experience programs.

At Western Washington University (WWU), first-year students have the option to enroll in Freshman Interest Groups (FIGs). This is one format of First-Year Seminar programs. In FIGs at WWU, professors from the two core courses will visit students in the seminar course several times throughout the ten-week quarter. This allows the students to have more personalized time with the professors to ask questions and deepen the conversation that wouldn’t be possible in a large general education class. This experience could be validating for students who may feel lost in large classes common in first-year general education requirements.

This article from NACADA includes case studies that show the value of validation theory during students’ first year of college, and how validation or lack thereof can influence a student’s motivation or belief that they can succeed.