A Study of Factors Impacting Student Use and Non-Use of Advising

Abstract

The concept of academic advising by NACADA (2006) frames advising as a consideration of the whole student, helping to form ties between their educational curriculum, their growth as a person, and their future aspirations. Forming meaningful relationships with students is essential to understanding their needs and the best ways to assist them. Meaningful relationships between students and advisors has been linked to student engagement, which is considered a more extensive connection between the student and their education. However, students must first be introduced to advising before any further relationship can be established. The question of how to bring students in for their first advising experience remains an area of struggle for some advisors, as studies indicated students may move through their undergraduate education without meeting with an advisor. Accordingly, the current study examined factors impacting student use or non-use of advising, with a focus on college advising in the context of a dual advising system. The areas of major advisors, integration of technology, and informing students about advising were used to explore how perceptions about the advising system are constructed and what influences these perceptions.