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Article Excerpt
Undergraduate students (n = 429) were surveyed to determine the style of advising used by their current advisor, the students' preferred advising style, and their satisfaction with advising. A majority of students (79.8%) identified their current advisor as using a developmental advising style. Nearly all (95.5%) respondents preferred developmental advising. Students with developmental advisors and a preference for developmental advising (77.9%) had significantly (p < .05) higher satisfaction than students with prescriptive advisors and a preference for developmental advising. Students experiencing congruence between their advisor's style and their preferred advising style had significantly (p < .0001) higher satisfaction with advising than students experiencing incongruence. The effect size for congruence (or incongruence) on satisfaction was large (Coben's d = 1.05).
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According to Addleman (1999, p.1), "Degree completion is the true bottom line for college administrators, state legislators, parents, and, most importantly, students." A logical consequence of this statement is that student retention and graduation must be a priority goal for colleges and universities.
The mid-South doctoral university where this study was conducted has a 6-year graduation rate of 56% (Office of Institutional Research, 2007). Increasing the 6-year graduation rate to 66% by 2010 is a top priority for the university and the College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences (White, 2006; Weidemann, 2007). According to public comments by the chancellor of this university (White, 2006):
We are not graduating first time, full time, degree seeking students at rates commensurate with their academic abilities. The prediction model used by U.S. News [sic] indicates we should be graduating 65% of our students. Independent of U.S. News [sic] our prediction model calls for the same rate. ([paragraph]30)
Academic advising plays an important role in student retention (Bailey, Bauman, and Lata, 1998; Lau, 2003; Myers and Dyer, 2005; Pascarella and Terenzini, 2005; Tinto, 1993). According to Light (2001),"Good advising may be the single most underestimated characteristic of a successful college experience" (p. 81). Student satisfaction with academic advising is related to overall student satisfaction and retention (Corts, et al., 2000). Given the important role of academic advising in student retention, serious efforts to improve retention should be grounded in an evaluation of student perceptions, desires, and satisfaction with academic advising.
Theoretical Framework
When students graduate from a college or university, it has a positive impact on the graduates, the institution, and society (Tinto, 2004). Graduates develop greater cognitive skills and higher levels of subject matter knowledge (Pascarella and Terenzini, 2005) and qualify for more desirable, higher paying careers (DeBerard, Spielmans & Julka, 2004; Donhardt, 2004). Institutions with higher retention and graduation rates are more efficient and enjoy greater levels of alumni, public, and governmental support (Lau, 2003). Finally, society benefits from a more highly educated citizenry through enhanced public discourse (Cantor, 2004), higher rates of civic participation (Bradburn, Nevill, and Cataldi, 2006), and higher tax receipts (Day and Newburger, 2002). Drawing on data from the Institute for Higher Education Policy, Tinto (2004) concluded:
People with a college education are much more likely to participate effectively in the governance of the nation, contribute their time and money to community service, consume fewer public services, and commit fewer crimes. They also contribute more to economic growth and productivity helping to create a larger economic pie for all to share. (p. 7)
Students who attend college but do not graduate fail to realize the same level of economic benefits as do graduates. The US Census Bureau (Day and Newburger, 2002) estimated the lifetime earnings of a worker with some college but no degree to be 25% higher than a worker with only a high school education. The estimated lifetime earnings of a worker with a bachelor's degree were 40% higher than for a worker with some college but no degree. According to Tinto (2004), "Does entry in college matter? Yes! But finishing college and earning a bachelor's degree matters even more!"[Emphasis in original] (p. 7).
Student Attrition and Academic Advising
Tinto (1975, 1993) developed a widely accepted model of student attrition from higher education. According to this model (Figure 1), student attrition is affected by five primary factors:
(a) pre-entry attributes
(b) initial and subsequent academic goals and level of commitment to...
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