THE IMPACT OF APPRECIATIVE ADVISING ON COMMUNITY COLLEGE TRANSFER STUDENTS A dissertation presented to the faculty of the Graduate School of Western Carolina University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Education. By Jessica Vanessa Shirley Director: Dr. Jessica Cunningham Assistant Professor Department of Educational Leadership and Foundations Committee Members: Dr. Jennifer Bloom, Educational Leadership and Policies, Dr. Julia Wetmore, Nursing February 2012 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I am grateful to all the many inspiring and supportive individuals I have had the privilege of knowing and learning from throughout my life. I would like to thank my committee members for their guidance during the dissertation process. To Dr. Jessica Cunningham, Dr. Jenny Bloom and Dr. Julia Wetmore, your support and advisement provided a steady reminder of why I chose a profession in higher education. This accomplishment would not mean as much without the love and support I have received from my family and friends. I wish to dedicate this dissertation to my dear parents: Waymon (1949-2011) and Joyce Shirley. Your love and encouragement have always given me the drive to go farther, do good and above all, never stop learning. TABLE OF CONTENTS Page List of Tables ................................................................................................................5 List of Figures ................................................................................................................6 Abstract ................................................................................................................7 Chapter One: Introduction .............................................................................................8 Academic Advising ..........................................................................................12 Appreciative Advising .....................................................................................14 Community College Transfer Students ............................................................20 Transfer Shock .................................................................................................21 Purpose of the Study ........................................................................................22 Research Questions ..........................................................................................23 Conceptual Framework ....................................................................................23 Definition of Terms..........................................................................................24 Chapter Two: Literature Review .................................................................................26 Community College Students ..........................................................................26 RN to BSN Transfer Students ..........................................................................28 Transfer Shock .................................................................................................30 Programs Developed to Address Transfer Shock ............................................33 Prescriptive Advising .......................................................................................39 Appreciative Advising .....................................................................................40 Summary ..........................................................................................................42 Chapter Three: Methodology .......................................................................................43 Research Design...............................................................................................43 Setting ..............................................................................................................47 Participants .......................................................................................................48 Instruments .......................................................................................................52 Pilot Study ........................................................................................................54 Data Collection ................................................................................................56 Data Analysis ...................................................................................................57 Variables ..........................................................................................................58 Threats to Reliability........................................................................................59 Threats to Validity ...........................................................................................61 Delimitations ....................................................................................................62 Conclusion .......................................................................................................62 Chapter Four: Data Analysis ........................................................................................63 Overall Participant Demographics ...................................................................64 Survey Respondent Demographics ..................................................................65 Interview Respondent Demographics ..............................................................66 Student Satisfaction with the Transfer Phase Survey Results .........................67 Student Satisfaction with the Transfer Phase Interview Results .....................69 Satisfaction Overall with the Transfer Phase .......................................70 Personalized Attention .........................................................................71 Connectedness......................................................................................71 Greater Goals .......................................................................................72 Lack of Information about Program Requirements .............................72 Advisor Aided in Alleviating Anxiety .................................................73 Six Phases of Appreciative Advising ...............................................................74 Disarm ..................................................................................................74 Discover ...............................................................................................77 Dream ...................................................................................................78 Design ..................................................................................................80 Deliver..................................................................................................81 Don't Settle ...........................................................................................83 Attrition ............................................................................................................85 Grade Point Average ........................................................................................86 Summary ..........................................................................................................88 Chapter Five: Findings and Recommendations ...........................................................90 Findings............................................................................................................92 Satisfaction with the Transfer Phase ....................................................92 Satisfaction with the Transfer Phase Interview Themes ......................96 Six Phases of Appreciative Advising ...................................................98 Attrition ..............................................................................................103 Grade Point Average ..........................................................................104 Conclusions ........................................................................................105 Limitations of the Study.....................................................................112 Recommendations for Future Research .............................................113 Summary ............................................................................................115 References ..................................................................................................................117 Appendix A: Appreciative Advising Inventory .........................................................134 Appendix B: Appreciative Advising Operational Outline .........................................137 Appendix C: Student Satisfaction Survey Consent Form and Instrument .................145 Appendix D: Transfer Experiences Interview Consent Form and Questions ............149 Appendix E: Descriptive Statistics for Survey Respondents Table ...........................153 Appendix F: Frequency of Responses by Survey Question Table ............................154 5 LIST OF TABLES Table Page 1. Applications, Admissions, and New Enrollees by Nursing Program and Student Types, Academic Year 2008-2009 ..................................................11 2. Descriptive Statistics for Appreciative Advising and Prescriptive Advising Group ....................................................................................................52 3. Transfer Phase Interview Themes ........................................................................70 4. Disarm Phase Survey Questions and Frequencies ...............................................75 5. Discover Phase Survey Questions and Frequencies ............................................77 6. Dream Phase Survey Questions and Frequencies ................................................79 7. Design Phase Survey Questions and Frequencies ...............................................81 8. Deliver Phase Survey Questions and Frequencies ...............................................82 9. Don’t Settle Phase Survey Questions and Frequencies .......................................84 10. Attrition Rate by Advising Group........................................................................85 11. GPA Statistics for Appreciative and Prescriptive Advising Groups ...................88 6 List of Figures Figure Page 1. The Six Phases of Appreciative Advising .........................................................16 7 ABSTRACT IMPACT OF APPRECIATIVE ADVISING ON COMMUNITY COLLEGE TRANSFER STUDENTS Jessica Vanessa Shirley, Ed.D. Western Carolina University (February 2012) Director: Dr. Jessica Cunningham Transfer shock and transfer phase satisfaction with the senior institution reported by community college students after transferring into Western Carolina University’s RN to BSN Nursing Program were examined to determine if differences exist in students who received Appreciative Advising and those who did not. Results of this study may serve to inform college personnel in policy development and further the evolution of academic advising. Improvements in the advising process may eliminate transfer barriers and improve academic achievement, retention and graduation rates. 8 CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION Statistics indicate that the number of students transferring from community colleges to four-year institutions is steadily increasing (Rhine, Milligan & Nelson, 2000). Research also indicates that many community college students originate from more academic and socially disadvantaged backgrounds than students who attend only four- year institutions (King, 1994). For example, community college students are more likely to be first-generation college students, be employed full-time and older than traditional four-year institution students (Laanan, 1996; Pascarella, 1999; Rhine, Milligan & Nelson, 2000). These differences have the potential to make the transition from the community college to the four-year institution cumbersome and stressful, often resulting in a decline in academic performance or worse, withdrawing all together (Laanan, 2001). These difficulties transfer students face at four-year institutions are commonly referred to as transfer shock (Hill, 1965). Transfer shock has been studied by scholars for decades and yet, despite ample literature and research examining its cause and effect, the phenomenon continues to impact students (Thurmond, 2007). To address transfer shock, faculty and administrators have developed various means aimed at alleviating the pressures transfer students face, particularly students transitioning from a community college (King, 1994; Eggleston & Laanan, 2001). Orientations, campus tours, articulation agreements and other outreach programs have been developed to address transfer shock with varying degrees of success (Kisker, 2007; Cameron, 2005; Glass & Harrington, 2002; Swing, 2000; St. Claire, 1993). Recurrent recommendations for minimizing transfer shock in the literature include connecting advisors who are specifically trained to work with transfer students to this target 9 population (Leader, 2010; Hatton, Homer, & Park, 2009). Appreciative Advising, a relatively new concept in academic advising, is a method for helping students reach their maximum potential by having college advisors ask positive, open-ended questions which may identify students’ strengths and facilitate goal attainment (Bloom, Hutson & He, 2008). Although Appreciative Advising was only introduced to higher education within the last nine years, a number of studies have been conducted to determine its efficacy with specific student populations (Bloom, 2002). While preliminary research has indicated Appreciative Advising improves retention and program satisfaction for populations identified as at-risk, graduate students and distance learning students, no research exists on the impact of Appreciative Advising on Associates Degree in Nursing (ADN)-prepared community college transfer students. Western Carolina University offers a program for ADN-prepared community college students who are actively licensed as registered nurses (RN) to pursue the Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) degree. This degree option is referred to as the RN to BSN Program. With the shortage of registered nurses predicted to rise as a new generational wave of the population enters a stage of increased healthcare needs and the number of registered nurses entering retirement (AACN, 2010, September 20; Duvall & Andrews, 2010; Nevidjon & Erickson, 2001), the need for improved retention rates in all nursing programs becomes ever more apparent. This workforce crisis, combined with the barriers inherent in transfer for community college students, heightens the urgency for improving transfer process methods that will improve retention and completion rates in RN to BSN programs. The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of Appreciative Advising on 10 ADN-prepared community college students’ experiences during the transfer phase and first semester in the RN to BSN program at the senior institution, Western Carolina University. Admission to the RN to BSN program is contingent upon satisfying specific course prerequisites, having at least a 2.50 cumulative undergraduate GPA and holding a current, unrestricted license to practice as a registered nurse. Students are notified of their acceptance four months prior to matriculation. For the purpose of this study, the transfer phase is defined as beginning upon acceptance into the RN to BSN program and ending at the completion of the first semester at Western Carolina University. Transfer shock and satisfaction with the transfer phase was studied to determine if there is a difference in satisfaction with the transfer phase, attrition and change in GPA for transfer students who received Appreciative Advising and those who did not. Student satisfaction is defined in this study as students’ perceptions of the quality of services and experiences they receive at Western Carolina University during the transfer phase. As the number of students enrolled in community colleges continues to rise (Phillippe & Sullivan, 2005), it is expected that the number of students intending to transfer to senior institutions will also continue to rise. Furthermore, as the number of students enrolling in ADN programs continue to rise, so too will the number of students transferring into RN to BSN programs at senior institutions. During the 2008-2009 academic year, 3,424 new students enrolled in North Carolina ADN programs compared to only 1,237 new students who enrolled in a traditional 4-year pre-licensure BSN program (Lacey Research Associates, 2008). During the same academic year, 988 new students enrolled in RN to BSN programs in North Carolina (see Table 1), only 249 fewer students than the total number who enrolled in a traditional 4-year pre-licensure