Advising Learning Method of Andragogy (ALMA): Or university soul

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate the hypothesis, can academic advising, based on the adult learning characteristics of andragogy, be an effective advising approach in assisting undergraduate students in their developmental learning, decision making strategies, and transition and adaptation into a university. This study examined two groups, each with ten graduating seniors, who were advised in the advising center of a large public institution of higher education in the Southwest. One student group was advised in the university's conventional advising manner; the second group was advised using the Advising Learning Method of Andragogy or ALMA. The methodology used to examine the hypothesis was done in the following manner: The quantitative stage, consisting of the ALMA Likert student survey and ALMA and Non-ALMA student group grade point average chart. These findings demonstrated an initial grade point average difference between the ALMA and Non-ALMA groups favoring the Non-ALMA group. While both groups improved their mean grade point average, the ALMA group's grade point average improved at a consistent pace as these students transitioned into the university, with both groups' mean grade point average reaching near convergence after five years. The qualitative stage, the survey and interview findings revealed that the ALMA and Non-ALMA groups were similar in their views that the university's large size, bureaucratic complexity, and limited advising resources had adverse effects on their success and sense of participation within the university community. The ALMA and Non-ALMA groups differed in several respects. The Non-ALMA group frequently mentioned the importance of outside support of family, friends, high school advisors, the use and retrieval of prior learned skills, and peer competition, while the ALMA group did not. The ALMA group frequently mentioned the importance of university OAS advising, technology, and study skills acquired at the university, while the Non-ALMA group did not. ALMA advising is not merely a change in the perspective method undergraduates use to access advising. ALMA represents a shift in the paradigm and approach taken in advising, which focuses on facilitating the development of the student's problem-solving skills and decision-making strategies.