Dissertation
Advising the advisor: professional socialization of academic advisors in higher education
Doctor of Education (Ed.D.), Drexel University
Jun 2026
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17918/00011402
Abstract
Primary role academic advisors are catalysts for successful retention and success initiatives of higher education institutions when effective at their position, yet the position of advisor tends to vary greatly among institutions and even within institutions. This variation makes it challenging to standardize the education, recruitment, and onboarding of academic advisors, which tends to result in understudied and differing professional socialization experiences among new advisors. This quantitative study investigated the professional socialization experiences of academic advisors who entered the field in the last five years at a higher education institution in the United States and how their pre-entry characteristics may influence professional socialization. The specific areas of professional socialization that were examined included commitment, intellectual investment, and values through the Survey of Early Career Socialization in Student Affairs (SECSSA). The results of the survey showed that how they entered the profession significantly impacted their commitment to it. Implications and recommendations for the continued advancement of advising as a true profession and to better the experience of new advisors is explored.
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Details
- Title
- Advising the advisor
- Creators
- Alexis Morgan Kapij
- Contributors
- Dominic F. Gullo (Advisor)
- Awarding Institution
- Drexel University
- Degree Awarded
- Doctor of Education (Ed.D.)
- Publisher
- Drexel University
- Number of pages
- xi, 79 pages
- Resource Type
- Dissertation
- Language
- English
- Academic Unit
- School of Education (1997-2026); Drexel University
- Other Identifier
- 991022188575404721