There were two main purposes of this quantitative study. The first purpose was to identify characteristics associated with the selected sample of academic advisors that comprise study. Secondly, the study sought to determine how well work related activities of a selected population of academic advisors correlate with professional characteristics constructs and professional standards constructs of academic advising as a profession. The study used Habley’s (1986) characteristics of a profession to derive the studies professional characteristic construct, education activities, research activities, and professional development activities as it relates to a selected group of academic advisors work related activities. The studies professional standards construct was derived from five Council for the Advancement of Standards (CAS) professional standards for academic as it relates to a selected group of academic advisors work related activities. The study of 78 out of 210 identified full-time academic advisors at two-and four-year public colleges and universities in the North Texas Region utilized a multidimensional researcher-developed Web survey instrument designed to measure professional standards and characteristic within the field of academic advising. Study results reinforced current criticism of research and education activities within the field of academic advising showing that the lack of scholarly research and education activities among academic advisors decreases significantly their efforts towards professionalization. Also, professional standards construct results suggest that the utilization of CAS standards for academic advising as an evaluation tool may enhance an academic advisor’s knowledge of professional standards within the field.

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The purpose of this collected papers dissertation was to better understand the professionalization of academic advising. Advising can claim several features of widely-agreed upon professional components, but the question of whether academic advising constitutes a “profession” has caused much debate. Three primary obstacles stand in its way: advising is misunderstood and lacks a consistent unifying definition; there has not been a substantial literature to define the content and methodologies of the field; and there is insufficient empirical research demonstrating its effectiveness. Two studies were conducted. Study #1 was a structured literature review of higher education, student affairs, and academic advising to understand how these fields have conceptualized their professional status, especially with respect to clearly defining disciplinary boundaries given significant overlap with one another, and having insufficient knowledge bases. Findings were organized by field and revealed three themes in each. Obstacles for higher education concerned the diversity and rigor of its scholarship, the (mis)conception of being a singular field, and confounding the field with the industry of higher education. Themes that emerged from the student affairs literature were scholarship, professional preparation and development, and community. For academic advising, obstacles were scholarship, expansion of graduate programs, and community. Implications for the professionalization for these three fields are: loose boundaries separating the fields, interconnectedness between educational programs, practitioner’s credential lacks currency, inconsistent language used in fields, autonomy, and demonstrating effectiveness. Study #2, a phenomenological ethnography, sought to further clarify defining functions of academic advising and to elucidate how further definition of the scope of academic advising will help professionalize the field. To acquire a description of the essence of academic advising, approaches from phenomenological and ethnographic methodologies were used. The analysis revealed that through academic advising, students learn and develop, make meaning, and connect with a caring institutional representative. The findings from this dissertation will help inform NACADA: the Global Community for Academic Advising, to help move academic advising toward professionalization, further develop academic advisors and position them to be better scholars, to educate our constituents, and to add to the body of literature on professionalization in any field.

Effective academic advising may be perceived or experienced differently depending on a person’s involvement (student, advisor, or administrator). In addition, a person’s understanding and description of effective advising depends on how it is identified (process, outcome, or approach) or the context in which it is encountered. Results from multiple studies of the relevant literature have demonstrated how the quality of advising influences students in regard to retention, academic and social integration, decision-making processes in selecting academic programs and careers, overall student satisfaction, and success (Banta et al., 2002; Cuseo, 2004, Hunter & White, 2004). However, research on effective advising and the assessment of advising has received very little attention in the literature. Although awareness of the importance of institutional assessment has increased, assessment of academic advising today is – if conducted at all – is piecemeal and consists of simple student satisfaction surveys that may be neither adequate of useful. Even when assessment measures are conducted, advising units are often inept at utilizing the results to create positive change within their programs. Understanding effective advising requires a closer look at the participants, the advising programs, and the assessment practices of programs along with exploring student learning outcomes. The overarching area of inquiry in the research study is: What is effective advising (how is it manifested and in what ways is it measured at the University)? Within this context, the goals for this study were to uncover the following: how academic advising is administered and supported across a specific institution; how perceptions about advising differ among system participants; what valued characteristics are found among effective advisors and advising programs; what assessment of academic advising looks like at the institution; what advisors and advising programs do to contribute to quality and improvement. To achieve these objectives, the study utilized a multi-faceted case study of undergraduate academic advising and the participants within a large public research institution which contained several academic advising centers. Understanding effective advising and the advising system required a comprehensive and multi-dimensional approach that involved the collection and analysis of many different forms of data from a variety of sources and over an extended period of time. A mixed methods, action-research design utilized the collection and review of numerous assessment and advising documents, descriptive and quantitative SPSS analysis of several longitudinal data sets yielded from electronic survey systems of seven colleges, numerous original interviews and focus groups with students, staff, and administrators, and a year’s worth of detailed field observations (journals and critical reflection) of the advising process and the advising system. / text

<p>Academic Advising is shown to have the ability to greatly impact student success, however, motivation in the academic advising context is largely ignored in research and modern advising philosophies. This study examined the relationship and impact of transformational leadership behaviors on student motivation in the academic advising setting. Results show a statistically significant positive correlation between transformational leadership components (e.g., idealized influence, inspirational motivation, individualized consideration, and intellectual stimulation) and motivation. Utilizing stepwise linear regression analysis, inspirational motivation was indicated as a significant predictor of student motivation. </p> The findings of this study add to the literature suggesting the beneficial impact of transformational leadership. By applying transformational leadership behaviors, primarily idealized influence, in academic advising sessions, academic advisors can better assist student success. Limitations of the current study, and implications for future studies are discussed.

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As students continue to pursue higher education, the potential for them to experience mental health issues will exist (National Alliance on Mental Illness, 2011; Center for Collegiate Mental Health, 2012; Gruttadaro & Crudo, 2012; Salzer, 2012; Center for Collegiate Mental Health, 2013). When entering a new environment, students will look to make connections with the institution; one of these connections can be with an academic advisor (Harper & Peterson, 2005; Harper & Wilson, 2010; Kuh, 2011; Pearson, 2012). It is important for individuals experiencing mental health issues to make connections to the institution so that they are more likely to remain and feel a sense of connection (Kadison & DiGeronimo, 2004). This dissertation outlines a quantitative study to examine the attitudes of academic advisors towards mental health. Using the Relational-Cultural Theory (Miller 1986; Jordan, 2000) as a framework, this study sought to determine attitudes of academic advisors and how this may affect their relationship with students. Results from 133 participants revealed that attitudes toward mental health issues do not impact the building of a mutual relationship between student and academic advisors from the academic advisors' perspective. However, characteristics such as age and personal experience with mental health issues impacted this type of relationship between the academic advisor and student.

Self-advocacy for students with disabilities was noted throughout the literature as a necessary element for student success (Brinckerhoff, 1996; Daly-Cano, Vaccaro, & Newman, 2015; Gould, 1986; Williams & Shoultz, 1982). The literature also found that self-advocacy was particular crucial as students entered higher education (English, 1997; Stodden, Conway, and Chang, 2003; Vaccaro, Daly-Cano & Newman, 2015). In regard to student persistence, academic advising was the most cited student service (Hossler & Bean, 1990). Academic advisors assist students through their academic journeys and are tasked with assisting students to navigate college life (Kuh, 2008). However, there was a lack of research regarding the relationship between advisors, students with disabilities, and self-advocacy. Therefore, this research study was conducted to explore the insights and support of self-advocacy among academic advisors when working with students with disabilities. A qualitative phenomenological research design was used to explore these experiences. From the data analysis, seven themes emerged after the interviews and a focus group, which represented the needs of academic advisors for their specific roles and interactions. The themes were lack of knowledge, accommodations, transition, academics, fear of being labeled, relationships and interactions, and self-awareness. The information gathered through this study may lead to professional development programs to improve relationships between academic advisors and students with disabilities and to prepare students with disabilities to become strong self-advocates.

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