Developmental Advising: an Approach to Student Engagement and Success
Jose E. Coll, Ph.D.
University of Southern California
School of Social Work
E-mail: coll@usc.edu
Teresa Guzman
Department of Social Work
Saint Leo University
E-mail: Teresa.guzman@saintleo.edu
Introduction
Post secondary advising has developed into a critical role in the retention of students in academic institutions. Various studies have reflected how the relationship that students develop with their advisor may affect the satisfaction the student has with their respective school (Coll, in press; Coll & Zalaquett, 2008). Since the 1970s the role of the academic advisor has shifted from informational to holistic. A holistic approach to advising allows for the advisor to develop and maintain awareness and integration of topics such as learning styles, theories of student development, cognitive abilities, and cultural diversity as a means of promoting a positive advisor/advisee relationship. A positive relationship between advisor/advisee has shown that a satisfied student is willing to continue to graduation with the respected academic institution (Carstensen & Silberhorn, 1979; Glennen, 1976; Noel, 1976; Tinto, 2006). However, insufficient and inappropriate advising may generate negative outcomes, which may impact a student’s academic achievement, and impact institutional retention efforts (Coll, in press).
Advising
Nutt (2000) describes academic advising as an integral part of how the student will perceive his or her relationship with their institution. Educational institutions historically have used advising as a primary means to increase retention, and many researchers (Carstensen & Silberhorn, 1979; Glennen, 1976; Noel, 1976; Tinto, 2006) have supported the link between academic advising and student retention. Academic advising, moreover, has been defined as a process that helps students develop professional, interpersonal, and academic success through the relationship and guidance of faculty members or assigned advising staff (Gordon, 2006). Academic advising is perhaps one of the only services that guarantees interaction with students and the perfect opportunity to develop positive lasting relationships that can promote student development (Barefoot, Gardner, & Upcraft, 2005; Kerr & King, 2005; King, 1993). Creamer (2000) describes academic advising as an educational activity that assists college students in making decisions in their personal and academic lives. In addition, Grites (1979) defines academic advising as a “…decision making process during which students realize their maximum educational potential through communication and information exchanges with an advisor (p. 1)”.
Academic advising is often the only academic service that guarantees prolonged interaction with students, which in turn makes the advisor a key figure in the student’s development during his or her academic career (King, 1993). Today, advisors have to be prepared to meet the needs of members of not only various ethnic groups but also of gender and age differences.
As a means of developing an affective relationship with students an advisor should become aware his or her own worldviews as well as those brought forth by our increasingly diverse student population. Furthermore, it is important to understand that the role of a holistic advisor includes understanding the interpersonal dynamics existing between their advisees and themselves (Coll & Zalaquett, 2008). In addition, the advisor should have a comprehensive understanding of their individual cultural background in order to better understand and develop cultural competence that is instrumental in developmental advising (Coll & Zalaquett, 2008; Sue & Sue, 2003).
Moreover, it is equally important for academic institutions to understand that the advisor/advisee relationship will be affected by the advisee’s worldview. Coll and Zalaquett (2008) illustrate that if an advisee has similar self-worth as his or her advisor then the advisee will feel more comfortable in actively seeking advisement. In addition, the advisee expressing meaningfulness as a high personal value will consider advisement as a significant element to their academic career (Coll & Zalaquett, 2008). The utilization of faculty members as advisors provides an opportunity to engage and develop relationships with students beyond their office. This allows the faculty/advisor to develop and promote a holistic approach to advising that is consistent with academic success. However, it is recommended that faculty seek preparation on how to advise according to their institutional requirements in order to be affective and holistic.
It is suggested that the implementation of advising as a teaching instrument will provide a positive environment that enhances academic achievement while building the student/advisor relationship. D.E. Thompson, Orr, C. Thompson, and Grover (2007) demonstrate that students can be assisted and helped to develop time management skills through the utilization of developmental advising and a holistic approach to the advisees’ needs. In addition, the advisor/advisee relationship provides for a positive experience in which the advisee can develop his or her personal goals, effective studying skills, and overall professional and personal development. This relationship can in fact not only enhance student success but promote retention. The academic advisor plays a vital part in the developmental and academic success of students as well as the institutional retention efforts (Coll, in press; Nutt, 2000). It is important to create a positive college environment in which the student may achieve personal growth, dignity, self worth, academic greatness and individual autonomy. Therefore, the purpose of the present study was to examine how students would respond to the implementation of advisors teaching a first year experience course, in which they would provide developmental advising and engage in student development and professional relationships.
Method
Participants
Participants in the study were 163 undergraduate students at a private liberal arts university in the Southeast. Data for this research were collected through a survey in the 2007 fall semester. Permission was obtained from the Institutional Review Board (IRB). A consent form was provided to all participants. The sample gender population consisted of 55.8% males (n= 91) and 44.2% females (n= 72).
Instrument
The researcher used the Advisor Assessment Instrument (AAI) created by Cuseo (2002), which measures the quality of academic advising. In addition, the AAI measures the advisor/advisee relationship in the areas of availability, accessibility, and helpfulness.
Procedure
Participants were approached in a required first-year course and were asked to complete the self-report paper survey (AAI). First-year students were selected due to the increase of attrition between the first and second semester. To protect confidentially respondents did not put their names on the survey and were encouraged to contact the researcher for explanation regarding the study after data analysis. This study utilized 7 out of 18 questions from the AAI to assess advisor satisfaction. The following questions were utilized from the AAI: (4) my advisor takes a personal interest in me, (6) my advisor is a good listener, (8) my advisor helps me understand why required courses are important for my professional development and future plans, (9) my advisor considers my personal abilities, talents, and interests when advising me about courses or programs of study, (10) has assisted me in developing a long-term education plan, (15) as an advisee, I was well prepared for my appointments, and (18) would you recommend your advisor to other students. As noted, only 7 of the 18 questions were utilized for this study; this is due to the very nature of the specificity of the study, which seek to better understand how students perceived.
Results
The first question that was analyzed was “Would you recommend your advisor to another student or friend?” Of the 163 respondents 90% (n = 162) responded that they would highly recommend their advisor to another student. A t-test between genders revealed no significant difference in responses (ps > .05). The second question that was asked attempted to understand how pleased the student was with their advisors communication skills. Again there were no significant differences between male and female student responses to question # 2 (ps > .05);, however, what is significant to note is the percent of students who “agreed” that their advisor had good communication skills and “took personal interest in them” (M = 4.49, SD = .038). This is a very important finding suggesting that developmental advising provides a personal approach and linkage with students. Furthermore, students strongly agreed that with the statement that their advisor was a “good listener” and “helped me develop an academic goal and plan” with a means response of (M = 5.033, SD = .108) and (M = 4.93, SD = .220). Lastly, students were asked to rate the level to which their advisor took into consideration the student’s “personal abilities, talents, and interests when recommending courses or program study to individuals”. The mean response (M = 4.64, SD = .160), demonstrates that students were very pleased with how the advisor engaged and understood their personal abilities.
Discussion
A holistic approach to advising allows for the advisor/advisee relationship to develop awareness and integration of topics such as learning styles, cognitive abilities, and culture diversity. Moreover, a constructive relationship between the advisor/advisee has established that a satisfied advisee is enthusiastic to continue with the academic institution until his or her graduation and as noted in the present study students are more likely to refer their peers to a specific advisor or instructor, which in turn may support and promote faculty-student relationships and development (Carstensen & Silberhorn, 1979; Coll, in press; Glennen, 1976; Noel, 1976; Tinto, 2006). An advisor not only ensures that students’ individual academic plans are consistent with their academic interests and abilities; he or she acts as a referral agent to students. D.E. Thompson, Orr, C. Thompson and Grover (2007) discuss that a student that is stimulated by their coursework and is genuinely pleased by their experience at the school will have a sense of belonging and a sense that the advisor as noted in the present study shows genuinely that he or she takes into consideration their personal abilities. All of these characteristics have been shown to promote and enhance developmental advising and student success.
The advisor/advisee relationship promotes and assists in the development of professional skills and qualities such as time management. Advisor/advisee relationships develop through the growth of communication and the accomplishment of active listening. Advisee’s satisfaction increases when the advisor provides assistance understanding the required courses, facilitating professional development and providing direction in future planning. Furthermore, it is through their communication that a student is able to express concerns about the institution which the advisor can address to relieve tension. In an encouraging advisor/advisee relationship the student may achieve personal growth, worthy of self and academic greatness which enhances not only a student’s success but promotes retention.
If the findings of this study are consistent, institutions of higher learning may consider training their faculty advisors who teach a first year experience course in developmental advising. As found in the present study the majority of students would refer their advisor to other students, which leads us to believe that they were satisfied and reinforces the relationship that can be built between the faculty/advisor and student body.
Reference
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Glennen, R. (1976). Intrusive college counseling. School Counselor, 24, 48-50.
Nutt, C.L. (2000). One-to-one advising. In Gordon, V.N., Wesley, R.H., & Associates. Academic Advising: A Comprehensive Handbook. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass Inc.
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