Research
Agenda
NACADA
supports research in academic advising to advance knowledge about
academic advising as both a field of practice and as a field of
academic inquiry, to increase the body of published scholarly
work on academic advising, and to provide opportunities for all
academic advisors to engage in scholarship about advising. Research
grants up to five thousand dollars ($5,000) may be awarded to
support a single-year proposal. Multiple-year awards are also
granted.
The
NACADA Research Committee has identified the following ten areas
as being critical areas of research in advising. However, research
proposals dealing with any aspect, setting, or type of advising
will be given serious consideration.
-
Conceptual studies of academic advising
from the viewpoint of other academic disciplines to analyze
the relation of disciplines to the practice of academic advising
or to advance our understanding of academic advising.
-
Speculative
studies examining the role of academic advising in meeting the
learning mission of higher education or examining the role of
academic advising in preparing students for citizenship in a
democratic society. Such studies can be thought of as advancing
a philosophy of advising.
-
Research
examining the specific factors or characteristics involved in
effective academic advising and development of assessment procedures
using these identified factors or characteristics as outcome
measures. Such studies can be thought of as advancing the pragmatics
of advising.
-
Identification
of specific student-learning outcomes as measures of successful
academic advising. Included would be delineation of pre- and
post-measures to evaluate as benchmarks of student learning
that clearly relate directly to the academic advising interaction
and process.
-
Identification
of those factors or criteria that students feel are most important
in effective academic advising, as compared to the factors identified
by academic advisors. Delineation of discrepancies between these
two cohorts' perceptions/opinions and research to assess the
effectiveness of interventions to bridge this difference.
-
Consideration
of theory of academic advising; building academic advising theories.
-
Systematic
analysis of academic advising that is mediated through telecommunications,
information technology, or other communication modalities to
describe what exists and to examine the effects of mediated
academic advising.
-
Description
of the various advising systems and advisors in higher education
for the purposes of examining practices and outcomes. Assessment
of the role of mentoring in the academic advising relationship.
Definition of mentoring and delineation of what is involved
in a mentoring relationship compared to an academic advising
one, as well as measurement of the effects of mentoring behaviors
and processes on the advisor-advisee relationship.
-
Empirical
examination of those components historically deemed to be involved
in effective academic advising. Such studies examine observable
relationship, communication, and cultural aspects of the process
of academic advising (e.g., conversational turn-taking, listening,
and disclosure) to determine their role and importance in advising.
-
Comparative
studies of academic advising in settings outside the United
States to provide insight
into the history, theory, and practice of advising and to give
the field of academic advising an expanded body of literature.
Research suggestions
using CAS Standards
NACADA
Grant application materials are available online or from NACADA
at (785) 532-5717, e-mail nacada@ksu.edu.
Individuals
are encouraged to submit research proposals to NACADA for consideration
and feedback. November 1, 2008 is the due date for the 2009 first
round of grants. March 15, 2009 is due date for the second 2009
round. More information can be found in the research
support grant section of this site.
Notice of Nondiscrimination: NACADA
does not discriminate on the basis of age, race, creed, gender,
sexual orientation, national origin, disability, or marital status.
