A philosophy of advising referred to as the learning-centered paradigm is described and compared to the dominant developmental paradigm. Through the learning-centered paradigm, one can explain, better than through the developmental theory, how advising is, or can be, similar to teaching. Under the learning-centered approach, the excellent advisor…

Four advising styles, authoritative, authoritarian, permissive, and uninvolved, were identified according to doctoral students' perceptions of demandingness and responsiveness of their advisors. Doctoral students who perceive working with authoritative advisors reported the highest levels of perceived development in cognition, motivation,…

This psychometric study was designed to test the feasibility of measuring college students' preferences for developmental and prescriptive advising styles as separate constructs. Part 5 of the Academic Advising Inventory (Winston & Sandor, 1984b) was revised into two independent scales, one for measuring preferences for developmental advising…

The effect of national or local standards and guidelines on job satisfaction among professional and faculty academic advisors was studied using an on-line survey, focus group, and individual interviews. Findings support the proposition that the more connected advisors are to standards of practice, the greater their job satisfaction. Findings also…

Strengths-based advising is proposed as a new lens for higher education, one that enables advisors to see diverse groups of students fulfill their potential and achieve excellence. Based on research from social work, positive psychology, and the business world, this approach enables advisors to identify and build on the inherent talents students…

A learning paradigm can transform the field of academic advising. Ten organizing principles answer the two core questions raised by a focus on learning. What should the student learn through advising? How might the learning take place? The first three organizing principles define a curriculum for academic advising and are based on the premise that…

Premedical students have often been viewed as academically narrow and cynical about liberal education. To investigate the veracity of this generalization, I conducted a qualitative study of premedical students at a liberal arts institution. Contrary to negative stereotypes, the students in the study expressed a positive attitude toward liberal…

Since the mid-1990s, social norms theory has become prevalent in student development literature and research. Subsequently, social norms interventions to change student behavior have spread across campuses nationwide through marketing campaigns. Theorists and practitioners have applied the social norms approach to primarily health-related student…

Abraham Maslow's hierarchy of needs offers perspective on student motivation and a rationale for college retention programing. Student affairs and faculty interventions addressing student safety needs and engaging students' sense of purpose reinforce persistence. A mentor program is a possible cooperative effort between student personnel and…

At the mid-western land-grant university under study, undergraduate academic advising is part of the teaching mission and under the purview of the academic deans. In the decentralized system used, academic advising is delivered via full-time professional advisors in advising centers serving entire colleges or multiple curricula, full-time…

Advisor perceptions of and responses to the social and emotional needs of college students with learning disabilities (LDs) and attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (AD/HD) are studied. Through a mixed-method approach of surveys and focus groups, four themes emerged: social-emotional issues that students present in the advising relationship;…

The perspectives of 84 African American students attending a predominantly White institution (PWI) were qualitatively analyzed to identify the conditions under which African American student organizations were perceived as assets and liabilities to academic success. Results indicate that involvement in African American student organizations can…

The American workplace today is unlike any other in history because for the first time it is made up of four distinct generations. The advising workplaces on today's college campuses mirror this generational diversity. Four generations and their different perceptions of work attitudes and values, management expectations, communication patterns,…