NACADA Journal Volume 33: Issue 2

This issue of the NACADA Journal includes articles on instrument development, students' developmental experiences in higher education, cohort-specific studies, and advisee perceptions of academic advising. On the surface, the contents of this issue may seem disparate, but digging deeper, one sees the interconnections between all seven articles: student learning.

Because student learning results from academic advising, the evaluative tool fashioned in light of a specific mission and programmatic goals as well as the consideration of student learning as a result of advising make the initial article particularly relevant and appropriate. Three articles address students' needs, decisions, and expectations

When students leave their advising appointments, how do they feel? Excited? Disappointed? If advisors and students do not share expectations and goals, the student may harbor negative feelings about the advising experience, which have the potential to lead to withdrawal and dissatisfaction. We surveyed students at a large midwestern university to see how students feel about their past and recent advising experiences. Overall, students reported satisfaction with their advising involvement, as average rating scores were high and positive. The measurement scale created to evaluate student satisfaction with advising was analyzed using exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses. This analysis showed two reliable scales: advising and outreach functions, which may be used in the future to evaluate advising programs.

We used 2 studies to examine attachment security and college student success. In the 1st study, 85 first-semester students provided information on attachment dimensions and psychological, ethical, and social indices. More anxious students performed worse academically in college than they had in high school and indicated they would be more willing to cheat; they also scored lower on measures of academic locus of control and self-esteem than their peers. Securely attached students reported low levels of depression and anxiety. Findings were supported with regression analysis conducted with controls for attachment avoidance, high school grade-point average, and gender. A 2nd follow-up study showed that college students who had plagiarized papers reported high levels of attachment anxiety. The contribution of attachment theory to academic advising is discussed.

In this paper, we analyzed the relationship between students' motivations for choosing academic majors and their satisfaction and sense of belonging on campus. Based on a multi-institutional survey of students who attended large, public, research universities in 2009, the results suggest that external extrinsic motivations for selecting a major tend to be negatively associated with students' satisfaction and sense of belonging. Intrinsic motivations and internal extrinsic motivations tend to be positively related to students' satisfaction and sense of belonging.

From the Co-Editors

Capturing the Student Perspective: A New Instrument for Measuring Advising Satisfaction

Attachment and Student Success During the Transition to College

Major Decisions: Motivations for Selecting a Major, Satisfaction, and Belonging

The Advisor and Instructor as a Dynamic Duo: Academic Motivation and Basic Psychological Needs

Advisees' Expectations for Support as Moderator Between Advisor Behavior and Advisee Perceptions of Advisor Behavior

Advising and Progress in the Community College STEM Transfer Pathway

Assessing Academic Risk of Student-Athletes: Applicability of the NCAA Graduation Risk Overview Model to GPA

Feature Book Review & Citations

From the Co-Editors

Understanding Athletics Academic Advisors’ Experience with Job Burnout

Rural College Students’ Academic, Financial, and Health-Related Obstacles During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Implications for Academic Advisors

Career Advising in a VUCA Environment

From the Co-Editors

THE URSINUS COLLEGE FRESHMAN ADVISING PROGRAM

CAMPUS LEAVING BEHAVIOR

APPROACHING A DEFINITIVE POSITION ON ACADEMIC ADVISING

THE ADVISOR UNDER STRESS—FIRED UP OR BURNED OUT?

WHAT YOU'D REALLY LIKE TO SAY . . .