Advising academics in a college or university setting has evolved through the centuries particularly because student needs and higher education curriculum have changed since the first era of academic advising began in 1636. As career opportunities grew, student educational needs changed. While advising in the first and second eras focused mainly on helping students with vocational programs and navigating course selections, researchers of the third and fourth eras (1972-now) theorized approaches to help advisors guide students to greater success not only in academia but their personal lives as well. Though many theories have emerged since 1972 for advisors to use as guidance in their relationships with advisees, most of those theories still in use today were based upon Burns Crookston and Terry O’Banion’s identification of the developmental advising era (Cate & Miller, 2015). Crookston and O’Banion viewed the developmental advising era more holistically by being committed and dedicated to student growth and development (Hagen & Jordan, 2008). The dedicated advisor would aid students in achieving educational goals along with career and personal goals as well (Cate et al., 2015).
Academic advisors should not simply prescribe students with a course of action; rather, they should discern the root cause of student concerns and help them identify and develop the skills necessary to address challenges.
Crookston’s theory revolves around the idea that the advisor and advisee share the responsibility of advising and that their relationship is the vital element to the growth of the student (Hagen et al., 2008). In general, Crookston felt that “academic advisors should not simply prescribe students with a course of action; rather, they should discern the root cause of student concerns and help them identify and develop the skills necessary to address challenges.” (Cate et al., 2015, p. 39). These skills include techniques like problem-solving and decision making and how the student interacts with others and the environment she resides in (Cate et al., 2015).
Just as Crookston believed the relationship between the advisor and advisee was crucial to the growth of the student (Hagen et al., 2008), Alexander Astin suggested that a student’s growth and academic achievements were higher the more the student pursued campus activities in addition to coursework (Roufs, 2015). Through his research, Astin argued that involved and engaged students show greater academic endurance than those who are isolated and uninvolved. As the advisor listens and understands the student’s history and background, recommendations can be made to the student to find the best options for campus involvement (Roufs, 2015).
Similar to Astin’s theory that involved students are more likely to stay committed to their academic institution and therefore succeed, Nancy Schlossberg’s theory of mattering and marginality simply asserts that people matter. She acknowledges that for students to achieve academic success, they must believe that someone—either an individual or group—finds them important at the educational institution. If students feel marginalized or insignificant, one of the best ways to replace that feeling with confidence is for the advisor to show that the advisee matters to her. Excellent relational skills such as active listening, remaining calm, and a welcoming environment for the advisee are great ways to apply Schlossberg’s theory (Roufs, 2015).
The Statement of Core Values from the National Academic Advising Association (NACADA) provides a framework for academic advisors in their work with students (Cate et al., 2015). NACADA members defined core values as “beliefs that influence how we act” (NACADA Executive Office, 2018, 3:10). It makes sense then that the NACADA Core Values would reflect the theories advisors are encouraged to apply to their advising situations. Of course, every theory would expect advisors to carry all the values with them in their work with students, but some theories rely more heavily on one core value than another. For example, with Schlossberg’s theory of mattering and marginality, I immediately see how possessing the Core Value of Caring would help an advisor apply this theory. The Core Value of Caring states that advisors can build relationships with their students by actively listening and showing that they understand and share the feelings of the students (NACADA Core Values of Academic Advising, 2017). By caring, the advisor shows the students that they matter and, in turn, instills confidence in them.
The Core Value of Empowerment seems applicable to Astin’s theory of involvement. Students who are isolated and whose grades are slipping might be reluctant to get involved (Roufs, 2015). But as the advisor helps them recognize their potential and meet the challenge of trying something new by motivating and encouraging them (NACADA Core Values of Academic Advising, 2017), the students might find their place in the fabric of the campus community. This, in turn, can positively affect the grades of the students and their overall relationship with the academic institution (Roufs, 2015).
Crookston’s view that the advisor helps with not only degree completion but supports defining personal values and assisting the student in living a gratifying life after graduation (Roufs, 2015) speaks to the Core Value of Commitment. The Core Value of Commitment states that “academic advisors value and are dedicated to excellence in all dimensions of student success” (2017). I like the word dimensions in this definition of commitment. To me, it emphasizes viewing the student holistically and not just one aspect of degree completion, which is similar to Crookson’s theory.
As someone who does not have academic advising experience, I admittedly became anxious while reading through these many theories and often wondered how a deep-dive into a student’s life is possible while potentially advising up to 300 or more students? At what point does an advisor refer the advisee to the counseling center, career center, or other campus resources? Does an advisor’s personality play a role in how she advises and what theories resonate with her? Hagen and Jordan mention that “developmental advising does not require advisors to discuss issues that go beyond the individual advisor’s scope of knowledge or comfort” (2008, p. 19). The New Advisor Guidebook mentions that the expectations of new advisors are not to know everything at once. Advisors with practice, just like most things in life, will become more familiar and experienced with the art of advising (Folsom, Joslin, & Yoder, 2015). “The ambiguities and fuzzy boundaries between and among theories and models of advising, advising approaches, methods, and styles may initially confound an advisor but prove to inspire further exploration as the new advisor grows” (Roufs, p. 67). I take comfort in these encouragements and trust that as I familiarize myself with theories and focus on the Core Values, I will become an effective and efficient question asker to my students as I listen for what’s important and find the resources to best help them as individuals (Roufs, 2015). I look forward to that day.
Jayne Rohlfing
EDCEP 835 Foundations of Academic Advising
Kansas State University
Aug. 23, 2020
References
Cate, P., & Miller, M. A. (2015). Academic advising within the academy: History, mission, and role. In P. Folsom, F. Yoder, & J. E. Joslin (Eds.), The new advisor guidebook: Mastering the art of academic advising (pp. 39-53). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Folsom, P., Joslin, J.E., & Yoder, F. (2015). Preface. In P. Folsom, F. Yoder, & J. E. Joslin (Eds.), The new advisor guidebook: Mastering the art of academic advising (pp. xi-xvii). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Hagen, P. L. & Jordan, P. (2008). Theoretical foundations of academic advising. In V. N. Gordon, W. R. Habley, and T. J. Grites, Academic advising: A comprehensive handbook (2nd edition) (chapter 2). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Roufs, K. (2015). Theory matters. In P. Folsom, F. Yoder, & J. E. Joslin (Eds.), The new advisor guidebook: Mastering the art of academic advising (pp. 67-81). San Francisco, CA, CA: Jossey-Bass.
NACADA Executive Office. (2018, February 2). NACADA Core Values [Video File]. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/-DSpFr5VQhE.
NACADA: The Global Community for Academic Advising. (2017). NACADA core values of academic advising. Retrieved from https://www.nacada.ksu.edu/Resources/Pillars/CoreValues.aspx.
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