Exploring Students’ Perceptions of Academic Advisors’ Performance: A Qualitative Content Analysis

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Assistant Professor, Faculty of Health and Nutrition, Bushehr University of Medical Sciences Bushehr, Iran

2 Assistant Professor, Department of Medical Education, Education Development Center, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Bushehr University of Medical Sciences Bushehr, Iran

3 Department of Nursing, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Bushehr University of Medical Sciences, Rishehr Street, Bushehr, Iran

4 Department of Nursing, School of Nursing and Midwifery, The Persian Gulf Tropical Medicine Research Center, The Persian Gulf Biomedical Sciences Research Institute, Bushehr university of Medical Sciences, Bushehr, Iran

10.34172/jhad.1173

Abstract

Background: Despite the critical role academic advisors play in students’ academic success, limited understanding of students’ perspectives has left fundamental issues, such as underutilization of advising services or dissatisfaction with them, largely unresolved. Accordingly, the present study aimed to explore students’ perceptions of academic advisors’ performance at Bushehr University of Medical Sciences.
Methods: This qualitative study employed a conventional content analysis approach. Given the use of a qualitative research design, data were collected through focus group discussions. A total of 26 students from various medical science disciplines attended three focus group sessions. The students were selected through purposive sampling from different academic levels (bachelor’s and professional doctorate). Semi-structured interviews were conducted for data collection and continued until data saturation was reached. Transcribed interviews were manually coded, and the codes were subsequently grouped into themes using more abstract categories. To ensure trustworthiness and rigor of the findings, Lincoln and Guba’s criteria were applied.
Results: Analysis of 360 initial codes resulted in 10 subcategories, 7 main categories, and 2 overarching themes, including advisor characteristics (advisor accessibility, understanding diverse student needs, and confidentiality) and advisor responsibilities (academic guidance, educational leadership, developmental support, and problem-oriented responsiveness).
Conclusion: The students in this study perceived effective advisor performance as a combination of individual characteristics and the fulfillment of various educational, developmental, and problem-solving roles. It is recommended that a comprehensive assessment of advising challenges be conducted from multiple perspectives. Moreover, a performance evaluation tool for academic advisors should be developed, and appropriate interventions should be designed based on these insights.

Keywords

Main Subjects

References

  1. Keshavarz K, Bastani P, Gholami A, Abid F, Sotoudehnia AM, Keshavarz G, et al. Students and teachers᾽ attitudes toward counsultor planning and identify problems and solutions. Res Med Educ. 2022;13(4):35-44. doi: 52547/rme.13.4.35. [Persian].
  2. Mortazavi SS, Heidari A, Mortazavi Z, Seyedtabib M. Factors affecting teacher-student relationship from the perspective of students in school of rehabilitation, Hamadan University of Medical Sciences. J Med Educ Dev. 2019;12(34):41-8. [Persian].
  3. Raisi M, Ahmari Tehran H, Bakouei S, Mehran N, Abedini Z, Heidari S. The opinions of the consultant professors of Qom University of Medical Sciences about academic counseling and guidance, duties of the consultant professor and its related areas, (Iran). Qom Univ Med Sci J. 2018;11(12):118-27. [Persian].
  4. Ganji R, Razi A, Rashidi Fakari F, Abbaspour A, Namdar Ahmadabad H. Evaluation of the effectiveness of the educational workshop in a station method on changing the viewpoint and knowledge of faculty members about the duties of academic advisors. Horiz Med Educ Dev. 2023;14(3):15-25. [Persian].
  5. Rezapur-Shahkolai F, Salimi N, Ezzati Rastgar K, Gheysvandi E, Parsa P, Dogonchi M. Students’ perspectives in relation to academic counseling in the university: a qualitative study using content analysis. J Med Educ Dev. 2020;15(3):171-81. doi: 18502/jmed.v15i3.4893. [Persian].
  6. Abedini MR, Abassi A, Mortazavi FF, Bijari B. Students’ viewpoint of factors affecting teacher-students communication, a study in Birjand University of Medical Sciences. Iran J Med Educ. 2012;12(6):439-47. [Persian].
  7. Khodayarian M, Mirmohammadi J, Salimi T, Araban M, Mojahed S, Resaee M. Determining the competency dimensions of supervisor professor from the nursing students’ viewpoints: a qualitative study. Iran J Med Educ. 2011;11(4):332-46. [Persian].
  8. Chemishanova M. International Students’ Expectations of and Satisfaction with Academic Advising at a Community College. University of Central Florida; 2018.
  9. Coles A. The Role of Mentoring in College Access and Success. Research to Practice Brief. Institute for Higher Education Policy; 2011.
  10. Hayes S, Lindeman L, Lukszo C. The role of academic advisors in the development of transfer student capital. NACADA J. 2020;40(1):49-63. doi: 12930/nacada-18-35.
  11. Chiteng Kot F. The impact of centralized advising on first-year academic performance and second-year enrollment behavior. Res High Educ. 2014;55(6):527-63. doi: 1007/s11162-013-9325-4.
  12. Holland C, Westwood C, Hanif N. Underestimating the relationship between academic advising and attainment: a case study in practice. Front. Educ. 2020;5:145. doi: 3389/feduc.2020.00145.
  13. Mousavi P, Rokhafrooz D, Pourghaumi S, Hekmat K, Haghaghizadeh MH, Hayati F. Survey of nursing and midwifery students’ satisfaction from performance of academic advisors in 1394. Educ Dev Judishapur. 2017;8(1):56-65. [Persian].
  14. Tairi F, Sepehr S, Yousefi F, Zarezadeh Y. The rate of lectures attitude towards academic counseling and its related factors at Kurdistan University of Medical Sciences in 2016. Shenakht Journal of Psychology and Psychiatry. 2019;6(2):161-70. [Persian].
  15. Bland CJ, Wersal L, VanLoy W, Jacott W. Evaluating faculty performance: a systematically designed and assessed approach. Acad Med. 2002;77(1):15-30. doi: 1097/00001888-200201000-00006.
  16. Ebrahimipour H, Arazi R, Shadnam Z, Nasrollahi S, Ebrahimipour S, Lael-Monfared E. Duties and performance of academic advisors from the students’ perspective. Res Medi Educ. 2015;7(2):69-77. [Persian].
  17. Chan ZC, Chan HY, Chow HC, Choy SN, Ng KY, Wong KY, et al. Academic advising in undergraduate education: A systematic review. Nurse Educ Today. 2019;75:58-74. doi: 1016/j.nedt.2019.01.009.
  18. Miller MA. Academic advisors of military and student veterans: an ethnographic study. J Contin High Educ. 2015;63(2):98-108. doi: 1080/07377363.2015.1042997.
  19. Komlakh K, Karimiyarandi H. Investigation of advisors’ performance and students’ satisfaction of universities of medical sciences: a  systematic review . Int J Adv Biol Biomed Res. 2022;10(3):229-36. doi: 22034/ijabbr.2022.559946.1414.
  20. Ahmadi S, Sayyah Baragar M. Understanding faculty members attitude on empowerment programs at Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences: a qualitative study. Educ Dev Judishapur. 2017;8(3):356-66. [Persian].
  21. Harwood TG, Garry T. An overview of content analysis. Mark Rev. 2003;3(4):479-98. doi: 1362/146934703771910080.
  22. Holloway I, Wheeler S. Qualitative Research in Nursing. Wiley; 2002.
  23. Burns NA, Grove SK. The Practice of Nursing Research: Conduct, Critique, and Utilization. Elsevier/Saunders; 2005.
  24. Saunders B, Sim J, Kingstone T, Baker S, Waterfield J, Bartlam B, et al. Saturation in qualitative research: exploring its conceptualization and operationalization. Qual Quant. 2018;52(4):1893-907. doi: 1007/s11135-017-0574-8.
  25. Speziale HS, Streubert HJ, Carpenter DR. Qualitative Research in Nursing: Advancing the Humanistic Imperative. Lippincott Williams & Wilkins; 2011.
  26. Mortazavi SS, Heidari A, Mortazavi Z, Seyedtabib M. Identifying effective factors in establishing communication between students and advisor members of rehabilitation faculty of Hamadan University of Medical Sciences” students’ point of view”. J Med Educ Dev. 2019;12(34):32-8. [Persian].
  27. Park JJ, Adamiak P, Jenkins D, Myhre D. The medical students’ perspective of faculty and informal mentors: a questionnaire study. BMC Med Educ. 2016;16:4. doi: 1186/s12909-016-0526-3.
  28. Jebreili M, Valizadeh S, Rahmani A, Ebrahimi H. Duties and performance of academic advisors from the view of students of Tabriz School of Nursing and Midwifery in 2010. J Med Educ Dev. 2012;7(2):3-12. [Persian].
  29. Kohle Paul W, Fitzpatrick C. Advising as servant leadership: investigating student satisfaction. NACADA J. 2015;35(2):28-35. doi: 12930/nacada-14-019.
  30. Meyer HS, Samuel A, Cleland J, Maggio LA, Artino AR, Scarlett E, et al. Optimizing Student Success: Leaders’ Perspectives on Advising Practices in Graduate Health Professions Education Programs. medRxiv [Preprint]. December 3, 2024. Available from: https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2024.12.02.24318324v1.
  31. Binderup ML, Ete NE, Ovesen C, Madsen MM, Andersen JB, Aabye MG. [Research training is inadequate among future medical doctors]. Ugeskr Laeger. 2012;174(43):2624-7. [Danish].
  32. Sum S, Seyfi S, Ehsani M, Pourghasem M. Academic counselors’ attitude toward university counseling and counselors’ duties; Babol dental school. Education Strategies in Medical Sciences. 2012;5(2):83-8. [Persian].
  33. Shakurnia AH, Asadollahi P, Elhampour H, Khodadadi A. Present and desired status of student counseling in opinions of AJUMS. Jundishapur Sci Med J. 2011;10(5):469-79. doi: 22118/jsmj.2011.55162. [Persian].
  34. Zeighami M, Pour Bahaadini Zarandi N. The relationship between academic achievement and students’ general health and coping styles: a study on nursing midwifery and health students of Islamic Azad University-Kerman Branch. Stride Dev Med Educ. 2011;8(1):41-8. [Persian].
  35. Etway EA. Academic advising obstacles from perspective academic advisor staff and college students. International Journal of Nursing Didactics. 2017;7(3):1-11.
  36. Moshtaghi S, Kazemiyan Moghadam K. Guidance and counseling needs of students. Education Strategies in Medical Sciences. 2018;11(2):133-40. doi: 29252/edcbmj.11.02.17. [Persian].
  37. Shabani A, Ahmadinia H, Rezaeian M. Survey of guidance and counseling needs in medical students of Rafsanjan University of Medical Sciences in 2021: a descriptive cross-sectional study. J Rafsanjan Univ Med Sci. 2022;20(10):1144-56. doi: 52547/jrums.20.10.1144. [Persian].
  38. Aljohani KA, Almarwani AM, Tubaishat A, Gracia PR, Natividad MJ, Gamboa HM, et al. Nursing and health sciences students’ perspective on the functions of academic advising. SAGE Open Nurs. 2023;9:23779608231172656. doi: 1177/23779608231172656.
  39. Selim A, Omar A, Awad S, Miligi E, Ayoub N. Validation of student academic advising and counseling evaluation tool among undergraduate nursing students. BMC Med Educ. 2023;23(1):139. doi: 1186/s12909-023-04115-5.
  40. Esmaeilpour M, Abedinzade M, Nikokar I, Bostani Z. Attitude of medical bachelor students toward faculty’s educational counseling duties. J Med Educ Dev. 2017;11(3):210-6. [Persian].
  41. Obeidi N. Effective factors on the communication between students and faculty members in the viewpoint of paramedical students. Education Strategies in Medical Sciences. 2010;3(3):133-6. [Persian].
  42. Ministry of Health, Treatment and Medical Education. Consultant Professor Regulations. 2009. Available from: https://edu.bpums.ac.ir/UploadedFiles/PFiles/4f94195f87e84f0.pdf
  43. Kannan LS, Lewis S, Sivapalan N, Anna RA, Chellaouri SD, Ali MD, et al. Perceptions of academic advisor attributes and assessing the students’ satisfaction with academic advising experience in a health science college of Saudi Arabia. J Pharm Negat Results. 2023;14(2):560-73.
  44. Hart-Baldridge E. Faculty advisor perspectives of academic advising. NACADA J. 2020;40(1):10-22. doi: 12930/nacada-18-25.
  45. Afra A, Ban M, Elhami S, Seneysel Bacharri S, Darari F. Investigating the level of interaction between students and educational consultant professors of Abadan University of Medical Sciences and the factors affecting it during the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. Educ Dev Judishapur. 2024;15(4):325-41. doi: 22118/edc.2024.432691.2422. [Persian].
  46. Galehdar N, Birjandi M. Assessment of university students’ satisfaction from academic counseling of the tutors of Lorestan University of Medical Sciences in the second half of school year 2007-2008. Yafteh. 2010;11(4):53-63. [Persian].
  47. Saiyad S, Mahajan R. Revisiting academic advising: potential role and implications in undergraduate medical training in India. Int J Appl Basic Med Res. 2023;13(4):193-7. doi: 4103/ijabmr.ijabmr_476_23.
  48. Yajan S, Tavakolitar MR, Torabi Eslami S, Yaghubi Far MA, Saffari SE. Investigating effective factors for establishing effective student–teacher communication from Sabzevar University of Medical Sciences nursing student’s viewpoints in 2013. Beyhagh. 2015;19(3):68-78. [Persian].
Health and Development Journal
Volume 14, Issue 1
May 2025
Pages 1-11

Files

History

  • Receive Date: 31 December 2024
  • Revise Date: 09 May 2025
  • Accept Date: 26 May 2025

Share

How to cite

Statistics