Luận án: Mức độ hài lòng với cố vấn học tập của sinh viên cao đẳng tại Mississippi

The University of Southern Mississippi The Aquila Digital Community Dissertations Spring 5-2013 Advisement Satisfaction Among Community College Students in Mississippi LaToya Tamiko Jones-Reed University of Southern Mississippi Follow this and additional works at: https://aquila.edu/dissertations Part of the Community College Leadership Commons, Educational Leadership Commons, and the Higher Education Commons Recommended Citation Jones-Reed, LaToya Tamiko, "Advisement Satisfaction Among Community College Students in Mississippi" (2013).edu/dissertations/325 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by The Aquila Digital Community. It has been accepted for inclusion in Dissertations by an authorized administrator of The Aquila Digital Community. For more information, please contact Joshua. The University of Southern Mississippi ADVISEMENT SATISFACTION AMONG COMMUNITY COLLEGE STUDENTS IN MISSISSIPPI by LaToya Tamiko Jones-Reed Abstract of a Dissertation Submitted to the Graduate School of The University of Southern Mississippi in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy May 2013 ABSTRACT ADVISEMENT SATISFACTION AMONG COMMUNITY COLLEGE STUDENTS IN MISSISSIPPI by LaToya Tamiko Jones-Reed May 2013 Mississippi lacks a formal unified method for evaluating academic advising programs, and it is unclear whether advisement practices are satisfactory and aiding in student success.

This study attempted to assess advisement satisfaction among students attending community colleges in Mississippi. The purpose of this study was to explore the level of satisfaction among Mississippi community college students with advisement. An additional aim of this study was to determine if advisement satisfaction is influenced by race, gender, non-traditional student status, first-generation student status, or on/off campus housing across Mississippi community college student populations. Students from each of the 15 community colleges in Mississippi (only the main campuses) were invited to participate in the survey process.

The researcher purchased the Survey of Academic Advising, Copyright 1997, from ACT, Inc. The Survey of Academic Advising was developed by the Evaluation Survey Service (ESS) and ACT and was used to measure students’ satisfaction with advising. The majority of the participants reported being satisfied with their advisor. Students indicated an overall high level of satisfaction with advisors’ assistance.

Students were most satisfied with advisors’ knowledge of scheduling/registration, graduation requirements, drop/add procedures, and selecting and changing majors. Students were least satisfied with advisors’ knowledge of obtaining course credit through nontraditional ii means including CLEP and workforce experience programs, obtaining tutorial and remedial assistance, job placement after college, and obtaining campus employment. Survey findings showed that satisfaction with advisement is unrelated to gender, non-traditional student status, first-generation student status, and commuter or residential student status. Satisfaction was only significantly related to race.

The research showed a small positive correlation between Caucasian students and satisfaction with advisors. In this study, Caucasian students were more satisfied with their advisors than African Americans students and students who reported their race as other. iii COPYRIGHT BY LATOYA TAMIKO JONES-REED 2013 The University of Southern Mississippi ADVISEMENT SATISFACTION AMONG COMMUNITY COLLEGE STUDENTS IN MISSISSIPPI by LaToya Tamiko Jones-Reed A Dissertation Submitted to the Graduate School of The University of Southern Mississippi in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Approved: Dr. Lilian Hill________________________ Director Dr.

Thelma Roberson__________________ Dr. Thomas O’Brien___________________ Dr. Aubrey Lucas ___________________ Dr. Siltanen _________________ Dean of the Graduate School May 2013 DEDICATION This dissertation is dedicated to two of my biggest fans: my husband, James Reed, IV, and my daughter, Londyn Michelle.

iv ACKNOWLEDGMENTS First, I give honor and thanks to my Lord and Savior for giving me the strength to persevere. Through Him, all things are possible. I am so thankful to be able to share this moment with individuals who have believed in me, encouraged me, supported me, and continued to lift me up in prayer. It is hard to believe that I am at the end of this journey.

With great sincerity, I thank each of those individuals who have contributed to my successful completion of this process. The research underlying this dissertation could not have been done without support from the faculty and staff at The University of Southern Mississippi (USM), my family, my friends, and my colleagues at Hinds Community College. The faculty and staff at USM are outstanding. I am deeply appreciative of my dissertation advisory committee.

Heartfelt thanks goes to my committee chair, Dr. She was always supportive and untiring in her engagement at every point in this process. She was always just a phone call away. Her patience, encouragement, and motivation truly guided me to the finish line.

I extend my deepest gratitude to Dr. Thelma Roberson, Dr. Aubrey Lucas, and Dr. Each of them played a unique role in the success of my research study.

They challenged me beyond my wildest expectations. Their collegial support was always helpful and timely. James Johnson was invaluable in directing the statistical analysis of this study. He was so flexible and always willing to compromise his personal time when I needed it.

Doris Vines’ assistance throughout many technicalities from afar will never be forgotten. Her dedication to the students in the Department of Educational Studies and Research is matchless. v I must acknowledge the tremendous support of my family and friends. Each of them have walked this long road with me.

I thank each of them for building me up, telling me that I could when I said that I could not. I express my sincerest gratitude to all of them for supporting the completion of this degree amid several adversities. To my husband, James, who has been a great support throughout this journey. He demonstrated relentless patience and understanding.

To my mother, Claudette, who was instrumental in helping with Londyn when things got hectic. She is truly a gem. I am forever indebted to her. To my in-laws, James and Ida, who supported me and cheered me on.

To my sister, Shahuna, who kept me motivated and encouraged at each milestone. To my aunts, Betty and Imogene, who supported this endeavor from start to finish. Their love and support will never be forgotten. I am grateful to each of my loving uncles, Hubert, Melvin, Alvin.

Each of them showed constant concern during this journey. Their support will always be remembered. Special acknowledgments go to my father, Walter Jones, my grandmother, Vernelia McCathen, and my uncle, Chelson McCathen; even though they are not here to share this moment with me, I would like to thank them for the values that they instilled. Their spiritual presence has been with me throughout the completion of this milestone.

They have been the gentle whispers encouraging me to press forward. Finally, I thank my supervisors and colleagues at Hinds Community College and the Jackson Academic and Technical Center for the gift of time to complete each stage in this process, especially analysis and writing. They positively encouraged my efforts. Their kind gestures and generosity will always be gratefully remembered.

vi TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT …………………………………………………………………………….ii DEDICATION……………………………………………………………………………iv ACKNOWLEDGMENTS……………………………………………………………….v LIST OF TABLES……………………………………………………………………….1 Statement of the Problem Purpose of the Study Rationale and Significance of the Study Research Questions Definition of Terms Delimitations Assumptions II. REVIEW OF RELEVANT LITERATURE .17 Higher Education in the United States Historical Overview of Community Colleges The Community College Mission Characteristics of Community College Students Characteristics of Community College Faculty Overview of Student Personnel Services Historical Overview of Academic Advising Mission of Advisement Services Types of Advising Student Satisfaction with Academic Advising and Usage of Services Best Practices in Advisement Services Theoretical Framework Synopsis of Literature Review III.85 Research Questions Research Design and Data Collection Procedures Description of Research Environment Description of the Participants vii Population and Sampling Instrumentation Analysis of Data IV.101 Demographics Research Question One Research Question Two Summary V.118 Summary Conclusions and Discussion Limitations Recommendations for Policy or Practice Recommendations for Future Research Concluding Thoughts APPENDIXES .149 viii LIST OF TABLES Table 1. Community Colleges in Mississippi by County………………………………. First-Generation Student………………………………………………………107 8.

Commuter or Residential Student……………………………………………. Student Needs Met……………………………………………………………. Description of Advisor………………………………………………………. Input into Selection of Academic Advisor…………………………………….

Time Having Current Advisor…………………………………………………112 13. Students’ Satisfaction with Advisors’ Assistance……………………………. Relationship Between Students’ Satisfaction and Independent Variables…….115 ix 1 CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION The attainment of a college degree through the matriculation of postsecondary education continues to be perceived as a major vehicle for upward mobility. Colleges and universities were founded with the intent of aiding students in developing both intellectually and socially in addition to preparing students to become mature professionals (Thelin, 2004; Wilder, 1981).

Trends in past research and current research indicate that college-educated individuals are much more likely to effectively participate in the governance of the nation, donate time and money to community service efforts, consume fewer public services, and commit fewer crimes (Belfield & Bailey, 2011; Hale, Graham, & Johnson, 2009). Overall, the idea of this research is that students who do not seek higher education fail to realize the economic, social, political, and cultural benefits of a college education (Belfield & Bailey, 2011; Hale et al. Brock (2010) argued that college graduates have better prospects in the labor market in comparison to their peers who discontinue their formal education after high school. He further added that over the course of a lifetime, an adult with a bachelor’s degree will earn nearly twice as much than an adult with only a high school diploma (Brock, 2010).

Although the benefits of college attendance are substantial, the central mission of higher education is to prepare students for professional roles and productive citizenship in society. To carry out the central mission of higher education, colleges and universities that accept students have the implicit responsibility of aiding students in successful transitions into the collegial environment (Magolda, 2003; Pizzolato, 2008). To ensure the successful transitioning of students into higher education, colleges and universities must 2 work through advisement and other auspices that offer student support services (Brock, 2010; Kellogg & Niskode, 2008; Kiker, 2008). It is imperative for colleges and universities to strive to promote the intellectual and social development of all students in addition to providing the highest caliber of academic and support services to ensure student success.

Failing to successfully adjust to college may result in students being unable to complete school and being forced to leave or seek transfer to another institution (Pizzolato, 2008). Derby and Smith (2004) implied that higher retention rates are indicative of higher quality in educational and instructional practices as well as institutional effectiveness as a whole. In addition, student persistence and retention ratings have been known to have major influence on rankings in college guides and press reviews. Bailey, Calcagno, Jenkins, Leinbach, and Kienzl (2006) noted that the National Education Longitudinal Study of 1988 revealed that one of every five students who earned a bachelor’s degree received it from a different institution than the one in which they had initially enrolled.

Even more alarming is the fact that four-year colleges in America lose a quarter of all first-year students before the start of the second year (Reason, Terenzini, & Domingo, 2006). Over the past decade, researchers, government, institutional administrators, and scholars have been concerned with exploring strategies for student support services to use in executing the best possible undergraduate experience for college students throughout postsecondary matriculation (Light, 2001; Robinson, 2004). Jarrell (2004) argued that the key to improving student retention lies within the ability of student support services to begin at the beginning by taking early action in the start of the first year to promote academic growth and development. She added that student support services practitioners 3 must effectively create and adapt unique programs that convert applicants into self- sufficient graduates and program completers (Jarrell, 2004).

Watson (1993) referred to student support as the work of those professionals who have the overall responsibility of serving students beyond the classroom, holistically developing them, easing their postsecondary transition and becoming involved in their total education experience. Culp (2005) added that student support services are a pivotal asset to the success and fulfillment of postsecondary education’s mission of helping students attain their educational and career goals.