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Undecided First Year College Students' Experiences with Academic Advising at Miami University

Workman , Jamie L.
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ohiou1369836009

Abstract Details

2013, Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Ohio University, Higher Education (Education).
This research explored two recent models of first year academic advising used at Miami University: The Explore Miami (EXM) model and a model associated with students in its newly created University Studies major, a designation for students who formerly were classified as undeclared majors. A secondary research interest focused on student experiences with the EXM Living Learning Community (LLC), which is specifically designed to meet the needs of undecided students. It was unknown how the University Studies students would experience their academic advising as well as their EXM LLC. University Studies students received a different academic advising model than the undecided students in previous classes. The EXM LLC was specially designed for students who wanted to explore their major and career path as well as the university as a whole. This project was conducted using a grounded theory techniques and a phenomenological perspective. Twelve students, six from each class, were interviewed via a semi-structured method. The research addressed the following research questions: (1) How did students experience being undecided first year students? (2) How did undecided students make meaning of their academic advising experiences? (2a) What were their experiences with their respective academic advising model? (2b) How, if at all, did the students perceive their respective academic advising model meet their needs as undecided students? (2c) How, if at all, did the Explore Miami Living Learning Community aid students in their major declaration process? Exploration around these topics provided rich data. Themes emerged from the data, categorized into one of the four S's of Schlossberg's transition theory. Sub themes materialized within each category. The study provided insight into how undecided students made meaning of a variety of experiences which can aid professional practice for supporting this unique population through their career and decision making process.
Peter Mather, PhD (Committee Chair)
Laura Harrison, PhD (Committee Member)
Will Barratt, PhD (Committee Member)
Bruce Martin, PhD (Committee Member)
211 p.
Education; Higher Education
Academic advising; Undecided college students; Living learning communities; Schlossbergs Transition Theory

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Workman , J. L. (2013). Undecided First Year College Students' Experiences with Academic Advising at Miami University [Doctoral dissertation, Ohio University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ohiou1369836009

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Workman , Jamie. Undecided First Year College Students' Experiences with Academic Advising at Miami University. 2013. Ohio University, Doctoral dissertation. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ohiou1369836009.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Workman , Jamie. "Undecided First Year College Students' Experiences with Academic Advising at Miami University." Doctoral dissertation, Ohio University, 2013. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ohiou1369836009

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

ohiou1369836009
6,760
© 2013, all rights reserved.
This open access ETD is published by Ohio University and OhioLINK.