Digital Commons Network^™

The Impact Of Academic Advisor Behaviors On Persistence Of Pregnant And Single Mothers At 4-Year Nontraditional Universities: A Mixed Methods Study, Kristina King

Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this sequential exploratory mixed methods study was to identify and describe academic advisor behaviors that had the greatest impact on persistence perceived through the lens of students who were both pregnant and single mothers while enrolled in an undergraduate degree program at a 4-year nontraditional university. A secondary purpose of this study was to identify factors that pregnant and single mothers perceived to have impacted their persistence.

Methodology: The qualitative phase of this study consisted of one-on-one interviews to gain a deeper understanding of the lived experiences of single mothers who recently graduated from a 4-year …

Academic Advising And Gender Communication, Sean Nemeth

Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this correlational study was to identify whether there are differences in student satisfaction scores in academic advisement gender pairings in an undergraduate university setting.

Methodology: This study was a descriptive correlational research study utilizing archival survey data. The collected data consisted of numeric scale survey responses from 6 iterations of the annual advising assessment survey. This study examined the relationship between student-advisor gender pairing and the numeric satisfaction score provided by the student. This study was a correlational research study with 2 variables (gender of student, gender of advisor). Students T-test and analysis of variance …

Perceptions Of Academic Advising And Student Retention, Stacy Renaee Soden

Dissertations

The purpose of this research study was to examine student and academic advisors’ perceptions of advisement techniques to determine the connection between academic advising strategies and student retention. If student retention rates are not addressed, higher education institutions are at risk of losing students, which is costly to the institution and the student (Himes, 2014). Most college students are in a state of change and need academic advice to achieve success during a college transition (Tinto, 2012). Academic advisors can assist students in finding the right career for students’ specific strengths. This qualitative study utilized Tinto’s (2012) theories of student …

Best Practices In Student Persistence And Completion: A Program Evaluation Of Three Student Services Units In A Rural Community College, Antionette Sterling, Felicita A. Myers

Dissertations

Student services units in community colleges are now encouraged to assume a larger role in supporting student retention and are charged with implementing intervention strategies that improve student success and persistence. Yet, many community colleges, especially those in rural communities, struggle to define the role of student services in improving retention, especially between the first and second semesters. A process program evaluation of three student services units at a rural Missouri community college was conducted in order to assess whether the outputs (activities) identified in the logic models for each of the three units had occurred. At the conclusion of …

Synchronicity Of The Community College Mission And The Role And Responsibilities Of Academic Advisors, Zalika A. Brown

Dissertations

The purposes of this study were to identify how the role and responsibilities of academic advisors support the mission of community colleges; to explore how academic advising is viewed by community college administrators and academic advisors; and to explore how academic advisors play a vital role in retaining students until they have completed their program of choice.

There is a strong link between the community college mission and the job functions performed by academic advisors; however, there is a lack of knowledge and understanding about how academic advisors can play a vital role in achieving the goals established by the …