Understanding Immigrant College Students: Applying a Developmental Ecology Framework to the Practice of Academic Advising
Immigrant college student populations continue to grow, but the complexity of their unique needs and issues remain relatively unknown. To gain a better understanding of the multiple contextual factors impacting immigrant students from a systems-based approach, I applied Bronfenbrenner's (1977) human ecology framework to the study. Students interact with the environment, including exchanges with academic advisors, that influence student development, success, and retention. In this theory-based essay, I contend that the philosophy of a developmental ecology approach parallels the foundational tenets of developmental academic advising, mainly through an emphasis on context and working with the whole student. I offer strategies for practice and ideas for future application as well as use an adapted human-ecological model to illustrate immigrant issues.
Contributor Notes
Michael J. Stebleton, PhD, is an assistant professor in the Department of Postsecondary Teaching and Learning at the University of Minnesota–Twin Cities where he teaches both undergraduate- and graduate-level courses in the College of Education and Human Development. He is actively involved in the first-year experience course and related college initiatives. Prior to assuming a faculty role, he worked in career and academic advising services for approximately 15 years. Dr. Stebleton's research and teaching interests include college student development, career development, first-year experience initiatives, and multicultural college student–success issues. He is the lead author on a life-career planning text (2011) titled Hired: Job-Hunting/Career-Planning Guide (4th ed.), published by Pearson Prentice Hall. He can be reached at steb0004@umn.edu.
Thank you to Dan Detzner, Marina Aleixo, and Krista Soria for their helpful feedback on previous versions of this manuscript.
