Exploring the Effects of Academic Advising on Community College Student Success

• In Event: Student Success at Community College

Abstract

Community colleges serve a large proportion of college-goers, including many underrepresented students. Improving student success is thus a high priority, but we often rely on limited definitions of success and the influence of student backgrounds rather than institutional practices on outcomes. This study explored the effects of one practice, academic advising, on four types of outcomes. By applying propensity score matching techniques, we not only controlled for typical covariates, but also mitigated self-selection bias to better isolate the effects of advising. Findings indicated that advising had a positive effect on transfer compared to certificate/associate’s degree attainment, but an insignificant effect on transfer compared to no successful outcome. Our findings have implications for colleges interested in institutional practices and student success.

Authors

• Samantha Marie Rogers, University of Georgia

• Jennifer May-Trifiletti, University of Georgia - Athens