Education Commons^™

Academic Success And Student Development In The Health Professions: An Action Research Study, Molly Ellen Higbie

Theses and Dissertations

The first year of college is a time of challenging transition for many. Students are adapting to a new way of learning as well as developing as adults. Using a mixed methods design, this action research study aimed to provide insight into the student experience for academically at-risk first-year students in a health professions program at a mid-size university in New England. Quantitative data showed that most students’ academic performance met or exceeded the minimum requirement for their major with support from their advisor through this intervention. Further, quantitative data showed that student development did occur for participants. Qualitative data …

Assessing Academic Advisement Preferences Among Master’S Students: A Modification Of The Prescriptive/Developmental Preference Scale, Marian "Gina" Sample

Theses and Dissertations

Academic advisement plays a significant role in enrollment retention and degree attainment. Little is known, however, about what master’s students want and need from their advisement experience, as most research on advisement preferences has focused on undergraduate students. The Prescriptive/Developmental Preference Scale (Yarbrough, 2010) was designed to assess students’ academic advisement preferences, particularly as they relate to prescriptive and developmental advisement. The author of the PDPS, which was piloted with undergraduate students, found that the instrument had construct validity issues, especially regarding the Prescriptive construct. This study aimed to modify and expand the PDPS to reliably assess master’s students’ advisement …

Improving Undergraduate Psychology Students’ Academic Advising Experiences, Kelsey Grant

Theses and Dissertations

This action research study evaluated how to prepare undergraduate Psychology students for the transition from a developmental style of advising to the prescriptive advising style of departmental advisors. As an Undergraduate Academic Advisor, I drew upon a theoretical framework of appreciative advising, positive psychology, and the theory of transition to examine how to improve my practice in terms of this transition. Survey data from students who had not yet made this transition and interview data from students who had already made the transition enabled me to evaluate their perceptions of the advisor–advisee relationship and overall advising model in Psychology, as …

Students' Experiences With Academic Advising And Their Perceived Academic Success, Antonia Marie Hannon

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to understand undergraduate students' experiences with academic advising and how it may have impacted their academic success. A survey was distributed to undergraduate students enrolled at Rowan University in the Spring 2022 semester. This survey consisted of questions regarding students' experiences with academic advising and their academic advisors, how it impacted them, and their perceptions of their academic success as it relates to their advising experiences. The findings of this study suggest that most students who receive academic advising from Rowan University have effective and positive experiences, find themselves to be academically successful by …

Learning Connections Inventory: Making Major Decisions Among Undeclared Students, Raven Alexis Holloway

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to investigate the potential relationship between the Learning Connections Inventory (LCI) and the career and academic exploration process of undeclared students at Rowan University, Glassboro, New Jersey. I examined if the LCI has predictive value in assisting undeclared students in the career exploration process as well as the attitudes of selected Rowan University professors and administrators towards the use of the LCI in the career and academic exploration process. The study investigated the statistical relationship of learning styles, as defined by the LCI, had on academic major selection. Data on the LCI scores and …

The Lived Experiences Of Academic Advisors With Counseling Degrees In Addressing Wellness With College Student-Athletes, Jennifer M. Gerlach

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to investigate the lived experiences of academic advisors who have master’s degrees in counseling in addressing wellness with college student-athletes. Of particular note was to explore if they addressed wellness and, if so, how they addressed wellness. Extant literature is replete with evidence documenting the numerous challenges and stressors student-athletes experience due to their athlete status. Prior to this study, the role of the academic advisor in addressing wellness has not been represented in the literature. This study examined the lived experiences of 10 academic advisors with counseling degrees, or currently enrolled …

An Investigation Of The Differences Between Continuing And Non-Continuing Undergraduate Special Admission Students Related To Academic Advising Factors, Kevin P. Reeves

Theses and Dissertations

This study examined some differences between continuing and non-continuing special admission students in areas of academic advising in ways that are more systematic and thorough than past research. The premise of the study is that having a clearer understanding of how academic advising affects retention might provide colleges and universities with information to optimize the collegiate experience for special admission students. Therefore, research on the effect academic advising has on special admission student retention might offer insight into how the interactions between student and advisor affect retention issues.

A non-experimental descriptive research design was employed to investigate the differences between …

Major Adjustment: Students' Transition Experiences Leaving Selective Undergraduate Degree Programs, Helen Mulhern Halasz

Theses and Dissertations

This multi-campus, qualitative study investigated how undergraduate students previously enrolled in selective majors described coping resources utilized during the transition of leaving their previous major and selecting a new academic degree program. The study also examined which resources students identified as most valuable, and coping resources most influential in their retention decisions. Research about students in selective degree programs has been absent for the last 20 years, and previous research studies have not given voice to the experiences of students in transition between majors. The conceptual underpinning of this study was the 4 S System (Goodman, Schlossberg, and Anderson, 2006), …