Running head: THE ROLE OF THE ACADEMIC ADVISOR

The Role of the Academic Advisor

Gail Taylor

Claremont Graduate University

THE ROLE OF THE ACADEMIC ADVISOR

Abstract

Graduate school is a process of acculturation, as much as it is a process of attaining

knowledge and demonstrating skills. Research shows that crucial to the success of a
graduate student seeking the Ph.D. is an advisor who may also be a mentor. This
raises the question, what does good advising look like at the graduate level? A review
of the literature on this topic follows. This literature review is part of a longer paper
that includes a personal narrative. The purpose of this brief review of the literature is
to inspire academic leaders to consider the benefits of good advising as a means of
promoting retention, and fostering a positive intellectual community.

THE ROLE OF THE ACADEMIC ADVISOR

Review of Literature

The graduate school experience may be characterized as a time of intellectual

reflection, scholarly research, and professionalization, when students work intently
on developing the skills that will lead to professional careers, or to careers in the
academy. A 1998 study by Anderson and Swazey, suggests graduate students are
transformed by the graduate school experience in ways that can be positive, negative,
or a mixture of both. For example, one of the most common complaints of graduate
students, according to Anderson and Swazey, was the feeling that professors were
asking too much of students. The authors suggest that the feeling of exploitation
generates conflict for many graduate students who often do not have the recourse to
speak out about their particular situation. This is because most graduate students, it
has been theorized, tend to work in isolation and therefore, are not seen to be in need
of the kind of institutional support that would be expected for undergraduate
students.

The authors suggest that faculty at institutions of higher learning might create
opportunities for graduate students that address the concerns of graduate students in

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an effort to prevent students from dropping out of graduate school. Anderson and
Swazey point to poor advising and mentoring as one reason why graduate students
suffer. The authors recommend action when issues arise that cause conflicts for
graduate students. Anderson and Swazey write, Graduate school faculty and
administrators can, and we believe should, periodically assess the experiences over
time of students in their departments and programs and take remedial actions when
problem areas are identified (12). The authors suggest university leaders, faculty and
staff, may take action by listening to, and recording the experiences of graduate
students for the purpose of taking actions to remove obstacles blocking the path to
student success.

Among the various problems graduate students can encounter at the

dissertation stage is entering into an advising relationship with the wrong kind of
advisor, or mentor, something Belcher (1994) refers to as a mismatch. Belchers
paper details a naturalistic study of three graduate students who have English as a
second language, and she studies how the students expectations often differ from
that of their academic advisors, or mentors. The question of advisors and advisees
who are not compatible raises the question of what is the best method for locating an

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advisor. The method by which students select an advisor varies with the discipline
that is studied (Zhao, Golde, and McCormick 2005); these authors also state that
both students and advisors could benefit from more knowledge about what makes an
advising relationship successful.

The role of cultural differences in the advising process is a relatively

underexplored topic for those who study academic advising and mentoring and thus,
one that is ready for more in depth study (Knox, Schlosser, Pruitt, and Hill 2006).
Dedrick and Watson (2002) identified a need for more attention to be given to
female, international and minority graduate students, especially at the dissertation,
stage when it comes to understanding the expectations of faculty. Age is also a
significant factor to consider when looking at the advisor/advisee situation (Polson
2003). Polson describes how older graduate students often challenge the traditional
notion of who attends graduate school:

Although some students enroll in a graduate program immediately after

completing their undergraduate program, many others enroll only after a gap of
several years. Such students find themselves without peers with whom they can
relate easily; most have responsibilities to others that strain their time and their
finances. (60)

THE ROLE OF THE ACADEMIC ADVISOR

These journal articles indicate that academic advising and mentoring are a
process of acculturation. The goal is for the mentor to help the graduate student
understand the different expectations and the new roles that come with matriculating
to ABD and Ph.D. status. Crucial to the graduate students success, according to
researchers, is an institution that demonstrates its appreciation of the unique place
held by the graduate student within the university system (Polson). Polson cites the
1988 work of Polkosnik who identifies five important responsibilities of an academic
advisor to graduate students:

1). a reliable information source

2). departmental socializer
3). advocate
4). role model
5). occupational socializer (64)

According to a review of the literature, there is need for more research on the
advisor/advisee relationship at the dissertation stage of graduate study. The review of

THE ROLE OF THE ACADEMIC ADVISOR

the literature that I am developing on the topic of advising and mentoring graduate
students is reflective of the need for attention to this matter that affects students from
increasingly diverse backgrounds (Di Pierro 2007; Ender and Wilkie 2000; Gardiner
1994, Golde 2001). An autoethnography of the dissertation process as chronicled by
Gearity and Mertz (2012) focuses on the affective component of the academic
advising process and asks these key questions: What are the doctoral student and
the committee chair thinking, feeling and doing during the dissertation process?
What are those possible barriers or facilitators to persistence? (2).

What this preliminary review of the literature indicates is that in the wake of
fundamental change in how graduate students are seen, there is a greater need for
advising and mentoring that will help graduate students adjust to the new roles and
expectations that the academy demands. While it has traditionally been thought that
graduate students are not just independent learners, but independent people who are
not in need of what might be perceived as extra help from university faculty, staff, or
administration, this traditional paradigm may be outmoded in todays diverse
academic environment.

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Therefore, it seems that there is more to being a graduate student than attaining
superior grades, and passing qualifying exams. Successful graduate students have
successful faculty who guide and mentor them to success as they strive to attain the
Ph.D.

The review of literature also seems to indicate that faculty and students must
form positive relationships. Therefore, working with the right faculty may be one of
the most crucial determinants of success for a graduate student.

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References

Anderson, M. S., & Swazey, J. P. (1998). Reflections on the graduate student experience:
An overview. New Directions for Higher Education, 1998(101), 3-13.

Belcher, D. (1994). The apprenticeship approach to advanced academic literacy: Graduate

students and their mentors. English for Specific Purposes, 13(1), 23-34.

Boyer, E. L. (1991). The scholarship of teaching from: Scholarship reconsidered: Priorities

of the professoriate. College Teaching, 39(1), 11-13.

de Valero, Y. F. (2001). Departmental factors affecting time-to-degree and completion

rates of doctoral students at one land-grant research institution. Journal of Higher
Education, 341-367.

Dedrick, R. F., & Watson, F. (2002). Mentoring needs of female, minority, and
international graduate students: A content analysis of academic research guides and
related print material. Mentoring and Tutoring, 10(3), 275-289.

Di Pierro, M. (2007). Excellence in doctoral education: Defining best practices. College

Student Journal, 41(2), 368-375.

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Ender, S. C., & Wilkie, C. J. (2000). Advising students with special needs. Academic
Advising: A Comprehensive Handbook, , 118-143.

Gardiner, L. F. (1994). Redesigning higher education: Producing dramatic gains in

student learning. ASHE-ERIC higher education report no. 7. ERIC.

Gearity, B. T. and Merz, M. (2012). From "Bitch" to "Mentor": A doctoral student's story
of self-change and mentoring. The Qualitative Report 2012 Volume 17, Article 59, 127 http://www.nova.edu/ssss/QR/QR17/gearity.pdf

Golde, C. M., & Dore, T. M. (2001). At cross purposes: What the experiences of today's
doctoral students reveal about doctoral education ERIC Clearinghouse.

Goplerud, E. N. (1980). Social support and stress during the first year of graduate school.
Professional Psychology, 11(2), 283.

Johnson, W. B., & Huwe, J. M. (2002). Toward a typology of mentorship dysfunction in

graduate school. Psychotherapy-River Edge-, 39(1), 44-55.

Kjerulff, K. H., & Blood, M. R. (1973). A comparison of communication patterns in male

and female graduate students. The Journal of Higher Education, , 623-632.

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Lovitts, B. E., & Nelson, C. (2000). The hidden crisis in graduate education: Attrition
from ph. D. programs. Academe, 86(6), 44-50.

Mendoza, P. (2007). Academic capitalism and doctoral student socialization: A case

study. The Journal of Higher Education, 78(1), 71-96.

Nerad, M., & Miller, D. S. (1996). Increasing student retention in graduate and
professional programs. New Directions for Institutional Research, 1996(92), 61-76.

Polson, C. J. (2003). Adult graduate students challenge institutions to change. New

Directions for Student Services, 2003(102), 59-68.

Rose, G. L. (2005). Group differences in graduate students concepts of the ideal mentor.
Research in Higher Education, 46(1), 53-80.

Schlosser, L. Z., Knox, S., Moskovitz, A. R., & Hill, C. E. (2003). A qualitative examination
of graduate advising relationships: The advisee perspective. Journal of Counseling
Psychology.

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Zhao, C., Golde, C. M., & McCormick, A. C. (2007). More than a signature: How advisor
choice and advisor behaviour affect doctoral student satisfaction. Journal of Further
and Higher Education, 31(3), 263-281.