Running head: STUDENT SUCCESS THROUGH ACADEMIC ADVISING

Review of Literature: Student Success Through Academic Advising

Kelli Jo Haley
Wright State University

STUDENT SUCCESS THROUGH ACADEMIC ADVISING

Review of Literature: Student Success Through Academic Advising

In higher education, it is no surprise that student success is one of the most
popular topics of current literature and discussion. There are many factors that attribute to
student success in higher education. Some of these factors include student involvement,
academic background, organizational and study habits, as well support. Support for
students in higher education can come from friends, family, faculty and staff. One of the
most important forms of support is through academic support services. Academic
advisors are a crucial piece in the success of students in higher education. Some advisors
work with all populations of students and others work with specific populations such as
student athletes, international students, or students in certain majors or schools.
Although sometimes academic advisors are looked at only to be there to check off
a box that allows students to graduate, many will argue that academic advisors are so
much more than that. Academic advisors play a crucial role in students time at a
university from start to finish. According to Strayhorn (2015), Individuals who strive to
help students move successfully through education and life, I refer to as cultural
navigators (p. 59). This doesnt necessarily mean only academic advisors are helpful in
this process of students being successful in education and life, but they are certainly an
integral part. These cultural navigators help guide students through the process of arriving
at academic success. They dont only tell students where to go, they show the students
through demonstrations, and give them possibilities of different paths (Strayhorn, 2015).
Some students might need these navigators such as academic advisors to help guide them
the entire time and solely rely on them for constant help and reminders, while other
students quickly figure out their paths on their own and only look to these cultural

STUDENT SUCCESS THROUGH ACADEMIC ADVISING

navigators when they absolutely need to. According to Strayhorn (2015), Cultural
navigators help students belong and recognize that all students matter (p. 59). This is
especially important when talking about student success. Yes, students are successful
when their academic lives are doing well, but success could also be found in campus
involvement, social, and other non-academic mediums. This is where academic advisors
or cultural navigators can step in to encourage students to get involved in campus
organizations, clubs, teams, or other places. In college, students often may feel they can
finally have a sense of belonging and come out of their shells. They also might be looking
for that place they feel connections with other students and it is up to academic advisors
and other cultural navigators to help students feel like they belong and matter, even if
they feel different and alone. Cultural navigators know something about the culturehow it operates, how to get things done, how to be part of it and feel a sense of
belonging they share that information with students, help them adjust to college life,
and make themselves available as trusted go-to resources whenever possible (Strayhorn,
2015, p. 59). Academic advisors are a resource for students throughout their academic
careers, but they can also be a resource in many other ways. For some students, going to
college is a way to finally feel a connection and belonging. It is important for advisors to
guide the students to become a part of the campus community and be able to give advice
to students to not tell them what to do, but to help them figure out their own unique path,
and also that it is okay for their path to change. Through this guidance, academic advisors
and cultural navigators can help students know how they can be successful (Strayhorn,
2015).

STUDENT SUCCESS THROUGH ACADEMIC ADVISING

With academic advising, there is not a one size fits all guide for working with
and helping students. All students are different and come from different backgrounds, and
especially today in 2016, it is important to help meet students where they are. This is
important to remember when thinking about how the role of academic advising has
changed over time to meet the needs of students being advised (Filson & Whittington,
2013). Students are now more than ever, looking to their academic advisors as the first
line of help when questions arise, academic or non-academic related. One important piece
to remember with this is that not all students want to reach out and ask for help from their
advisors though. According to Filson and Whittington (2013), Students who are
encouraged to visit their advisors more frequently in college will have a higher likelihood
of being more satisfied with advising services and will benefit from a quality advisoradvisee relationship (p. 16). This puts most of the responsibility on the student to reach
out to their advisor when they have questions, issues or concerns, but it is also up to the
advisor to make it clear that they are there to be used as a valuable resource and should be
called upon when necessary. This helps the student be successful on their own terms with
the academic advisor guiding them, but they have to make choices and decisions to
determine their own success as a college student. Research by Whitsett, Lynn Suell and
Ratchford (2014) supports the need for advisors to meet students where they are and
adjust their priorities when it comes to academic advising. Although sometimes academic
advisors can become stuck in a certain practice and only want to advise students on
academic needs, they have to understand that students might look to them for personal
and life advising as well.

STUDENT SUCCESS THROUGH ACADEMIC ADVISING

Student success comes as a process for most students, as college is a transitional

period for them to figure out who they are and what they want to do. It might be difficult
for students to be successful if they dont know what it is that they want to do when they
are done with college. Advisors can use theories and resources themselves to help guide
students, as they arent always going to have the answers either. Research by Workman
(2015) supports advisors understanding the transition of college and its impact on
students by using Schlossbergs theory. Ultimately students have to make decisions for
themselves when it comes to choosing classes, picking a major, or joining a specific club
or team. However, it is helpful when they can gain insight or advice from mentors or
professionals who can help guide their decisions. According to Workman (2015),
Advisors and other professionals who guide students through critical decisions, such as
those regarding major and careers, must understand that the process is shaped by a
students overall developmental capacity (p. 10). This is crucial for academic advisors
to remember when thinking of student success, that they can guide and help, but it will
ultimately come down to the individual student and whether they are capable of the
developmental changes.
One specific area of academic advising that can be very different from the general
population is academic advisors who work with student athletes. When academic
advisors work with some athletes for all of their academic careers, and watch them grow
from freshman to seniors, they can develop interpersonal relationships with their
students. It is the academic advisors job to help students navigate their academic careers
and help them through the journey, so it is no surprise that meaningful relationships are
developed. In many cases the student-athletes become so comfortable with their advisors

STUDENT SUCCESS THROUGH ACADEMIC ADVISING

they share personal issues with them (Thompson, 2011). In some cases the advisors
struggle with sharing information the students tell them and whether the information
should be shared or not. According to Thompson (2011), When advisors receive private
information from student-athletes they may find themselves trying to decide what to
reveal and what to conceal from others (p. 44). It is clear that academic advisors need
guidelines to follow in order to know when to disclose student-athletes personal
information and when to keep it between them and their students. According to research
by Thompson (2011), academic advisors want to be their as a support system for their
students and would benefit from guidelines from their athletic departments to know what
to do in different situations that arent necessarily academically related.
In conclusion there are many areas of academic advising that can help students be
successful as they navigate their way through their college careers. The academic
advisors are there to not only tell the students what to do, but to help them along the path
of making their own decisions and figuring out who they are and who they want to be.
Academic advisors can also be helpful to students who need to find a sense of belonging.
Academic advisors have to be able to not only aid students through academic decisions,
but sometimes personal ones as well, when students make choices to disclose that
information to their advisors. Ultimately academic advisors are a wonderful resource for
students to be successful but it is up to them to make the choice to use the resource.

STUDENT SUCCESS THROUGH ACADEMIC ADVISING

References
Filson, C., & Whittington, M. S. (2013). Engaging undergraduate students through
academic advising. NACTA Journal, 57(4), 10-17.
Strayhorn, T. L. (2015). Reframing academic advising for student success: From advisor
to cultural navigator. NACADA Journal, 35(1), 56-63.
Thompson, J. (2011). Communication privacy management in college athletics:
Exploring privacy dilemmas in the athletic/academic advisor student-athlete
interpersonal relationship. Journal Of Sport Administration & Supervision, 3(1),
44-60.
Whitsett, G., Lynn Suell, J., & Ratchford, D. (2014). Academic advising: Aspirations,
angst, and achievement. Review Of Higher Education & Self-Learning, 7(24), 5258.
Workman, J. L. (2015). Exploratory students' experiences with first-year academic
advising. NACADA Journal, 35(1), 5-12. doi:10.12930/NACADA-14-005