NACADA Journal Volume 34: Issue 1

To many, academic advising is practice; to others, academic advising is theory. Some conduct research in academic advising, and who can forget assessment in this higher education climate? Advising involves all of these endeavors and more.

Because effective advising begins with consideration of the best possible outcome for the student in mind, we first direct readers to the final article by Keith Powers, Aaron Carlstrom, and Ken Hughey, who provide results of a survey on assessment practices for academic advising of undergraduates. Fortunately, their data show a self-reported increase in assessment practices; unfortunately, assessment of academic advising is still in

Discussions on academic advising theory have centered on application from many disciplines; however, academic advising is unlike any other field, and therefore, theories from other disciplines do not correspond with all of the unique goals of advising: assisting students in understanding the meaning of higher education, supporting students in their personal growth, and helping them set and achieve educational goals. To continue clarifying the role of advising within higher education, practitioners need to move from analogical theories to normative theories. The diversity and richness of current theories in advising will provide the foundation for developing a normative theory and strengthening the field of advising.

Western culture admonishes that “winners never quit,” but sometimes the termination of a specific goal is the best choice for a student. Cognitive perseveration is commonly defined as one repeating an action after learning that it produces a poor outcome and may be considered a form of “never quitting.” This type of cognitive perseveration predicted poor academic performance in a group of male but not female undergraduates. The perseverative males repeated more courses, failed more courses, earned lower GPAs, and took longer to graduate than nonperseverating males and all females. We discuss the implications of distinguishing between productive persistence and self-defeating perseveration and the importance of advising students how to decide when persistence is not productive.

The career concern differences between undecided and decided college students (N = 223) are examined. Undecided college students (n = 83) reported lower career decision-making self-efficacy, higher incidences of negative career thoughts, and more career decision-making difficulties than their decided peers (n = 143). Results reveal that undecided students are as ready to make a career-related decision as their decided counterparts but may lack or be receiving inconsistent career information. Academic advising implications include ways to more effectively serve these populations. Practical suggestions from social-cognitive career theory and the cognitive information-processing approach are provided.

From the Co-Editors

Strengthening Academic Advising by Developing a Normative Theory

Perseveration and Academic Failure in Healthy Male Undergraduates

Decided and Undecided Students: Career Self-efficacy, Negative Thinking, and Decision-Making Difficulties

A Real PLUSS: An Intrusive Advising Program for Underprepared STEM Students

Technology and Academic Advising: Student Usage and Preferences

Does Contact With Advisors Predict Judgments and Attitudes Consistent With Student Success? A Multi-institutional Study

Academic Advising Assessment Practices: Results of a National Study

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 . . .