Academic advising: does it really impact student success?

Abstract

Purpose -This study was designed to evaluate academic advising in terms of student needs, expectations, and success rather than through the traditional lens of student satisfaction with the process. Design/methodology/approach -Student participants (n ¼ 611) completed a survey exploring their expectations of and experience with academic advising. Principal axis factor analysis, multiple regression analyses, and analyses of variance were applied to student responses. Findings -Six interpretable factors (i.e. advisor accountability, advisor empowerment, student responsibility, student self-efficacy, student study skills, and perceived support) significantly related academic advising to student success. Differences emerged with regard to advisement of demographically diverse students. Practical implications -The results suggest improvements in advising practices, particularly interventions focused on specific demographic populations. Originality/value -The present study contributes to existing literature by expanding advising research beyond student satisfaction to explore how it influences student success. Additionally, results suggest a need for future research that further develops the concept and practice of quality academic advising.

Relationship between Students' Satisfactions of Academic Advising and Students' Success

“…The researchers viewed that if academic advisor recognize well his role, he can help students navigate academic rules and regulations, help students schedule their courses. This is supported by [11],who examined the association between academic advising and grade point average, they did not observe a statistically significant correlation. On the other side [19]point out the impact of students' advising who attended two or more faculty advising sessions had a grade point average (GPA of 2.0 or higher).…”

“…Now a day, many researchers investigate the students' opinion about academic advising. [11]surveyed 611 undergraduate students to investigate the relationship between academic advising and students' success or academic performance, the results revealed that academic advising can significantly impact all aspects of a student's academic experience, ranging from advancement of self-efficiency to practical applications of study skills. [12]and [7] notes that effective advisors must appraise each definite student in terms of his needs, interests, skills goals, abilities and adapt their approach to address them properly.…”

Ties That Bind: Academic Advisors as Agents of Student Relationship Management

“…While these differenc es cannot be evaluated quantitatively, they may call into question previous findings that students express more dissatisfaction with academic ad vising than with any other program experienced during their undergraduate careers (Allen & Smith, 2008;Allen, Smith, & Muehleck, 2014;Keup & Stolzenberg, 2004;Kuh et al, 2005) and that satisfaction with academic advising positive ly affects overall satisfaction with the institution (Anderson et al, 2014;Roberts & Styron, 2010;Teasley & Buchanan, 2013;Young-Jones et al, 2013).…”

“…(p. 22) In this excerpt, Drake explained that academic advisors, perhaps more than faculty members and other student affairs professionals, can connect students to the institution. Drake's previous work added to the academic advising literature dis cussing the advisor-advisee relationship (Drake, 2011) and explaining the positive effects of academic advising on student outcomes, includ ing persistence (Elliott & Healy, 2001;Pascarella & Terenzini, 2005;Swecker, Fifolt, & Searby, 2013), satisfaction with the institution (Anderson, Motto, & Bourdeaux, 2014;Roberts & Styron, 2010;Sutton & Sankar, 2011;Teasley & Buchanan, 2013), and overall success (Allen & Smith, 2008;Young-Jones, Burt, Dixon, & Hawthorne, 2013).…”

A major choice: exploring the factors influencing undergraduate choices of Communication major

“…Several studies have stressed the importance of advisors in shaping the career choices of students (Bahr, 2008;Damen & Sulaiman, 2004;Young-Jones, Burt, Dixon, & Hawthorne, 2013), but their low degree of influence on college major decisions in our context indicates a fault line that must be taken into consideration.…”