This issue highlights the importance of the advising work that our readers are doing. It contains five articles on advising different student populations, and each reveals just how impactful academic advising can be. We close with a sixth article investigating advisor burnout and ways to better support academic advising professionals.
The issue opens with George Longbottom’s qualitative study involving interviews with 15 undergraduate international students. Through the lens of Validation Theory, Longbottom provided valuable recommendations on advising practices with this student population. In the next article, also guided by Validation Theory, Soua Xiong explored the advising experiences of 16 Hmong college students. Findings from narrative essays written by these students reveal the powerful impact of advisors’ academic validation. Interpersonally validating experiences, in which the academic advisor conveyed empathy and nonjudgmental understanding, also created space for the advisees to acknowledge personal issues impacting their academics. In stark contrast, findings reveal the potentially damaging impact of invalidating advising experiences that convey rejection, negativity, and disinterest. Both Longbottom and Xiong illustrated just how important advising is for student adjustment and success.
Next, Judy Nguyen, Andrew Estrada Phuong, and Shima Salehi described a mixed-method study, which surveyed over 500 students at a four-year private institution, to explore how students navigated institutional resources during the COVID-19 pandemic. The authors found that time constraints hindered first generation students’ ability to use resources. The authors call for equity in resource use to ensure that those students who most need these resources have both awareness and access.
The Journal is also pleased to present voices from the community college realm. Michael Goemans and Brian Karpinos shared the results of a very large, multi-campus, quantitative study examining institutional data from 34,000 students within a statewide community college system. Goemans and Karpinos found a significant relationship between frequency of student-advisor meetings and success metrics, including semester-based persistence, registration for the next semester, and credits completed. Their results underscore the importance of student-advisor contact for community college students.
In the next article, Andrea Gray, Samantha Bumgardaner, Ashley Hall, Adena Young-Jones, and Carly A. Yadon explored the relationship between perceived advisor support, resilience, and psychological distress in a quantitative study involving 136 undergraduate student participants. Perceived advisor support predicted higher levels of resilience, and these results suggest that advisors can play an important role in helping students build resilience, which in turn contributes to their academic persistence and success.
We close this issue with a very important article on the mental health of academic advisors. In 2023, Krista M. Soria, Elise Kokenge, Cassandra A. Heath, Erin C. Standley, Shannon J. F. Wilson, Jacob R. Connley, and Aaron I. Agramon surveyed advisors about symptoms of Major Depressive Disorder and Generalized Anxiety Disorder. Among their 777 respondents, 16.9% met the criteria for Major Depressive Disorder and 29.6% for Generalized Anxiety Disorder, rates higher than national averages. Advisors who were more satisfied with their salary and compensation reported less clinically significant Major Depressive Disorder symptoms, while advisors who indicated higher rates of burnout reported more symptoms associated with Major Depressive Disorder and Generalized Anxiety Disorder. This article highlights the need for institutions of higher education to offer creative ways to value and support academic advisors.
The articles in this issue will not only inform but also inspire you. We hope that some of you may be motivated to contribute to research and scholarship to advance the field of academic advising. By fostering an inclusive and collaborative environment for research and dialogue, scholars and practitioners alike can collectively propel the field forward, enriching not only our own practices but also the experiences of the students we serve.