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Perceptions of academic advisors of the impact of over involved parents on the advisor-student relationship at a liberal arts unit of a 4-year research university

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Perceptions of academic advisors of the impact of over involved parents on the advisor-student relationship at a liberal arts unit of a 4-year research university

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Content Running head: PERCEPTIONS OF ADVISORS 1
PERCEPTIONS OF ACADEMIC ADVISORS OF THE IMPACT OF OVER INVOLVED
PARENTS ON THE ADVISOR-STUDENT RELATIONSHIP AT A LIBERAL ARTS
UNIT OF A 4-YEAR RESEARCH UNIVERSITY

by
Debra G. Bernstein

A Dissertation Presented to the
FACULTY OF THE USC ROSSIER SCHOOL OF EDUCATION
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
In Partial Fulfillment of the
Requirements for the Degree
DOCTOR OF EDUCATION

December 2016

Copyright 2016 Debra G. Bernstein

PERCEPTIONS OF ADVISORS 2
Acknowledgements
An accomplishment as lofty as a doctoral degree can never be achieved alone. There are
many friends, colleagues, advisors, and family I wish to acknowledge.
I wish to thank my advisor and dissertation committee chair, Pat Tobey, and committee
members Patrick Crispen and Lynette Merriman. The support and encouragement provided by
Dr. Tobey throughout the process has been truly invaluable. She believed in my ability to
complete the task, and gently guided me at every step. A special thanks to Evelyn Felina-
Castillo, in the Doctoral Support Center at the Rossier School, who really did pull me over the
finish line. Evelyn, I have valued your input and constant support.
It is also important for me to acknowledge my colleagues and friends, all the advisors on
the College Advising team, and, especially, Richard and Marsha for always encouraging me to
march forward. I have truly cherished your friendship. To Viannda Hawkins, always upbeat,
always believing I would actually finish this project. Thank you!
To my roommate, Myrna, who watched me these past nine long years. Thanks for your
constant support. Yes, I am finally finished!
Lastly, and most importantly, I wish to thank my family for your continuous love,
support, and encouragement, making this all possible. To my parents, who always made me
believe I could do anything. I did it! I love you!
In closing, I wish to thank the many people who wished me well and encouraged me
along the way. It has been a fabulous journey.
PERCEPTIONS OF ADVISORS 3
Table of Contents
Acknowledgements 2
List of Tables 5
List of Figures 6
Abstract 7
Chapter One: Overview of the Study 8
Background of the Problem 10
Statement of the Problem 11
Purpose of the Study 12
Significance of the Study 13
Limitation and Delimitations 14
Definition of Terms 15
Organization of the Study 17
Chapter Two: Literature Review 18
A History of Academic Advising in Higher Education 19
Theoretical Viewpoints 22
Student Development Theory 22
Institutional Impact Theories 26
Academic Advising Practice 29
Developmental Model of Advising 29
The Millennial Student 31
Relationship Among Students, Parents, and the Institution 32
The Changing Dynamics 36
Overall Impact 39
Summary 40
Chapter Three: Methodology 42
Rationale 42
Sample and Site Selection 44
Data Collection and Instrumentation 45
Surveys 46
Interviews 48
Data Analysis 49
Chapter Four: Results 50
The Organization 52
Participants 55
Questionnaire Participants 56
Interview Participants 59
Themes Emerging from the Questionnaire 60
Themes Emerging From Interviews 69
Summary 76
Chapter Five: Discussion 78
Background 78
Stakeholders 79
Implications for Practice 80
Students and Parents 81
PERCEPTIONS OF ADVISORS 4
Recommendation for the Institution to help Advisors Deal With Parents 82
Recommendations for Advisors 83
Student Development and Developmental Advising 83
Limitations of the Study 84
Recommendations for Further Research 85
Conclusions and Final Thoughts 86
References 87
Appendix A: Academic Advisor Questionnaire 95
Appendix B: Interview Questions 96
Appendix C: Invitation to Participate 97

PERCEPTIONS OF ADVISORS 5
List of Tables
Table 1: Interviewees 60
Table 2: Interviewee’s Perceptions of Parental Involvement 71

PERCEPTIONS OF ADVISORS 6
List of Figures
Figure 1: Advisors’ Academic Fields 58
Figure 2: Advisors’ Genders 58
Figure 3: Advisors’ Ages 58
Figure 4: Advisors’ Experience 58
Figure 5: Advisors’ Interaction with Parents 58
Figure 6: Advisors’ Frequency of Contact with Parents 59
Figure 7: Stated Purpose for Interaction with Parents 62

PERCEPTIONS OF ADVISORS 7
Abstract
With the adult millennial generation’s admission to college, dynamics among students, parents,
and the institution (in this instance, academic advisors) changed. Parents are more involved in
the day-to-day lives of their college-aged children. The focus of this study was the perception of
academic advisors of how this change in dynamics affected their practice. This study examined
the perceptions of undergraduate college academic advisors of the phenomenon of the over-
involved parent and its effect on the advisor-student relationship and, ultimately, on their
practice of developmental advising.
Using a qualitative approach, this study was conducted in the liberal arts division of a large,
urban, research, university. Participants were 22 academic advisors who completed
questionnaires: eight were selected for in-person interviews. Perceptions of the practice of
developmental advising were examined as advisors comment on their own practice.
Results indicate that parents of undergraduate college students contact their children’s’ advisors
on a regular basis. Parents’ contact with advisors begins a cycle of action for the advisor to bring
the student into the process. Advisors indicated that this parental contact gives them more
information about their student and that they can, then, contact the student for a private meeting.
This begins the process of developmental advising.
Results may provide insight to academic advising professionals about the changing dynamics
among students, parents, and academic advisors. Understanding advisor perceptions may help
advisors, and the professionals who train advisors, better understand the needs of the adult
millennial student and examine their own practice in light of this changed dynamic.

PERCEPTIONS OF ADVISORS 8
CHAPTER ONE: OVERVIEW OF THE STUDY
Parental involvement remains a constant challenge to administrators and student affairs
professionals in higher education. This involvement may range from simple tasks like
completing required documents to more complex issues such as deciding on a major course of
study or selecting classes. In recent years, student affairs professionals began to focus their
attention on the issue of parental involvement in the lives of their students. There has been a
change in the relationships between parents and their college-aged children and between parents
and institutions of higher education (Cutright, 2008; Howe & Strauss, 2000; Lum, 2006;
Merriman, 2007; Scott & Daniel, 2001; Wartman & Savage, 2008; White, 2005). Parents have
become much more involved in the day-to-day lives of their college-aged children to the degree
that many university administrators would call over-involvement (Cutright, 2008; Merriman,
2007; White, 2005).
To address this phenomenon, many institutions created programs and offices designed to
give parents the opportunity to become involved. Despite the creation of programs, parents still
make their way to numerous university representatives like academic advisors, resident directors,
faculty, and Greek life advisors to interject themselves into their students’ experience. In 1990,
as millennials began to reach college-age, child development researchers Cline and Fay coined
the term "helicopter parent" to refer to a parent who hovers over a child in a way that may be at
odds with the parent's responsibility to raise a child to independence. Howe and Strauss (2000)
describe today’s parents as overly involved, overly protective, and overly child-focused.
However, they also explain how students of this millennial generation are equal partners in the
phenomenon, often initiating contact and calling upon their parents for assistance (Howe &
Strauss, 2000).
PERCEPTIONS OF ADVISORS 9
As agents of the institution, one important responsibility of academic advisors is to guide
students to become increasingly more responsible for their own education and to be capable of
making good academic and potential professional choices. The goal is to help students eventually
become productive, responsible, and independent adults. To this end, the academic advising
experience is crucial to student success. Much of the success of this function is dependent upon
the relationship developed between student and advisor. As Stanton-Salazar (2011) explained,
the academic advisor, acting as institutional agent, plays a vital role in success of the college-
aged student. The development of the advisor-student relationship is central to the goal, but this
relationship may be hampered by the over-involvement of well-meaning parents. Bonfiglio
(2009) stated, “Sometimes, it even seems as if the expectation of parents to continue to be
involved in the lives of their children while they are in college makes our goals for student
independence unattainable” (p.3). It is vital for academic advisors to understand the nature of
parental involvement in the lives of their college-aged children. Given this current dynamic
between students and parents, it is important to understand the perceptions of academic advisors
about their role. From the perspective of the institution, the changing dynamics among parents,
their college-aged children, and university personnel may present a need to reevaluate the model
currently in use when interacting with students and parents (Carney-Hall, 2008; Grites, 2013;
Tanaka, 2002).
This study focused on the perceptions of academic advisors about the phenomenon of
over-involved parents and its impact, if any, on the advisor-student relationship. The aim is to
give a voice to advisors about their experiences with over-involved parents and, in light of this
new phenomenon, about their views on the impact on current advising practices.

PERCEPTIONS OF ADVISORS 10
Background of the Problem
With the millennial generation’s admission to college, the dynamics among college-aged
students, their parents, and the institution changed. Current literature suggests that the over-
involvement of parents in the lives of their children as they progress through college prompted a
change in how institutions of higher education must approach their mission to mentor students
through the developmental process to independence (Bonfiglio, 2009; Merriman, 2007; Tanaka,
2002). There is literature to suggest that the number of college-aged students who call on their
parents for assistance with their day-to-day affairs, and to intervene on their behalf, is relatively
small (Shoup, Gonyea, & Kuh, 2009; National Survey of Student Engagement, [NSSE], 2007).
But, the experiences and perceptions of advisors who mentor these students may suggest
otherwise. As parents continue to be more involved, the role of the academic advisor, acting as
an agent of the institution, becomes more complicated.
Through the lens of the developmental theorists, notably Chickering and Reisser (1993),
we understand that, during their university years, students will begin to establish independence
from their parents. There is an expectation that students will move through developmental stages
and gradually become able to think more independently. Yet, the practice and literature suggests
that parents born in the latter part of the baby boom and the subsequent generation, Generation
X, are more involved in the lives of their college-aged children than previous generations of
parents and that their millennial generation children are co-conspirators in the phenomenon.
(Cutright, 2008; Howe & Strauss, 2000; Merriman, 2007; White, 2005). This suggests that adult
millennial students are more dependent on their parents and less likely to be expected to take
responsibility for their own lives.
PERCEPTIONS OF ADVISORS 11
Many student affairs professionals and administrators view this phenomenon of
helicopter parenting as detrimental to their mission of enabling and encouraging students to
become independent. Among obvious concerns for university personnel is the potential for this
involvement to have adverse effects on students’ development. The actions of over-involved
parents may undermine the ability of student affairs professionals to fulfill objectives in their
mission to encourage students to think independently (Coburn, 2006; Cosby, 2014; Cutright,
2008; Drake, 2011; Merriman, 2007; Rainey, 2006; White, 2005).
In this study, academic advisors are viewed as de facto student affairs professionals. As
institutional agents, advisors act as mentors to university students. Central to the mission of
student growth is the development of the student-advisor relationship. This study focused on the
changing dynamics of the interaction among adult millennial students, over-involved parents,
and the advisor-student relationship. It is important for advisors to reexamine their expectations
and practices in light of these changing demographics. Advisors must understand the trend of
millennial students and their over-involved parents and how this new dynamic relates to their
role and practice as advisors. The aim of this study is to examine advisor perceptions of this
phenomenon as it relates to current advising practice.
Statement of the Problem
This study explored the perceptions of academic advisors in a liberal arts unit of a major,
urban, research university of the phenomenon of the millennial student and the over-involved
parent and how this dynamic impacts the advisor-student relationship. The issue of over-
involved parents in the lives of their college-aged children is of concern to the professionals who
mentor these students, specifically academic advisors. Advisors expect that college-aged students
will have reached a certain level of independence from their parents, according to developmental
PERCEPTIONS OF ADVISORS 12
theorists such as Chickering and Reisser (1993). The model used by advisors with their students,
both in relation to expectations of student development and practice of developmental advising
assumes a certain degree of student readiness to move to a greater level of independence.
It is important to note whether this trend towards parents’ over-involvement in the
college-aged students’ experience has an impact on advisors’ practice. This study examined the
issues based on perceptions of academic advisors who mentor these adult millennial students.
This study surveyed and interviewed academic advisors about their experiences with parental
involvement in student issues. The purpose of this study was to explore the perceptions of
academic advisors to the dynamic of the over-involved parent and the college-aged student in
relation to their practice of advising.
Wartman and Savage (2008) offer alternatives to generational theory when dealing with
parent-student relationships, citing,
This new level of family involvement does not fit with the personal history of today’s
educators nor does it fit with the student development theory they were taught. It also
represents a shift in the relationship between student and the institution. (p. vii)
This shift created a need for advisors to reexamine their practice in relation to this change in
dynamics.
Purpose of the Study
Academic advisors in higher education face new challenges. Current theories of student
development may no longer be adequate in explaining today’s college student (Tanaka, 2002).
With a better understanding of the relationship between millennial students and their parents and
of how that might have an impact on the advisor-student relationship, advisors will be better
PERCEPTIONS OF ADVISORS 13
equipped to help students achieve their educational goals and enhance the quality of their
experience.
The purpose of this study was to explore the perceptions of academic advisors of the
dynamic of the over-involved parent and the college-aged student as it relates to their practice of
advising. The process of developmental advising, still recognized as a best practice by the
National Academic Advising Association (NACADA), will be examined for advisors’
perceptions of its relevance to their current advising practice in light of the changing dynamics
among students, parents, and the student-advisor relationship.
Academic advisors in a liberal arts unit of a major research university were surveyed, and
a select group were interviewed for a more in-depth narrative of their experiences with parental
involvement as it relates to their mentees. Advisors’ perceptions of how the changing student-
parent dynamics affected their advising practice were explored.
What are the perceptions of academic advisors in a liberal arts unit of a 4-year institution
of the impact of the millennial student and the over-involved parent on the advisor-student
relationship? Do academic advisors view the developmental advising model as still relevant to
the millennial student in light of the changing parent-student dynamic? Is the developmental
model of advising currently practiced still a viable model?
Significance of the Study
Considering the importance of the advisor-student relationship in the college-aged
student’s development, specifically the millennial, there is little written on the perceptions of
advisors of the phenomenon of involved parents. This study may provide some insight from
advisors on their perceptions of the effect of the changing parent-student relationship on their
practice. Information gleaned from this type study may help advisors and mentors of college-
PERCEPTIONS OF ADVISORS 14
aged students better understand the dynamics of the millennial student vis-à-vis his or her parents
and how that relationship may have an impact on the relationship of academic advisors and their
mentees.
Stakeholders are academic advisors in this university unit, many who play a mentoring
role for liberal arts college-aged students through their university years. This study may benefit
practitioners who recognize aspects or elements of the results and find this information useful to
their own situations. Administrators and professors who train these academic advising
professionals may also gain insight from the study.
Limitation and Delimitations
This study provided the perspectives of practicing academic advisors based on their
experiences. A number of limitations were present. Faculty advisors were not considered in this
study. Professional staff academic advisors were selected based on their number of years in the
profession. The purpose of selecting veteran advisors, those with 5 or more years of professional
experience, as a unique group, was to note whether they experienced a change in the parent-
student dynamic during their tenure as a professional. These advisors mentor a specific cohort of
student, those following liberal arts courses of study and/or those who have not yet determined a
their major. The perspectives and perceptions of these advisors may differ from those of advisors
at the same institution who are involved with students who have established professional paths
and curricula. It may also be significant that these parents of students following liberal arts
programs are more involved because of their concerns about the uncertainty of job prospects for
liberal arts majors and the financial burden of college tuition.
It is also important to note that, in light of the action research methodology employed,
delimitations include the involvement of the researcher with the advisor respondents in a direct
PERCEPTIONS OF ADVISORS 15
or indirect supervisory role. As well, there has been no consideration of other factors that may
affect parental involvement in the lives of their college-aged children. Factors such as first-
generation and minority students’ adjustment to college, as well as cultural and socio-economic
differences, were not considered in this study. More research is needed to address these other
important factors. Considering these limiting factors, the findings of this study are not
generalizable.
Definition of Terms
The terms listed below are defined to provide an understanding of their use in this study.
• Baby boom generation (Baby Boomers) – According to the U.S. Census Bureau (2014),
Baby boomers are people born during the demographic post-World War II baby boom,
approximately between the years 1946 and 1964.
• Generation X (Gen Xers) – The generation born after the Western Post-World War II
baby boom. Demographers and commentators use birth dates ranging from the early
1960s to the early ’80s.
• Developmental Advising – Crookston (1972) defined developmental advising as both an
orientation and a process based on the belief that the relationship between advisor and
student is a shared responsibility in which the primary goal is for student to, ultimately,
take responsibility for decisions and actions.
• Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act - (FERPA)
• Helicopter Parents – Cline and Fay (1990) stated these are parents who have a tendency
to hover over their children, ready to swoop down to help if needed.
• Institutional Agent – Stanton-Salazar (1997) defined an institutional agent as someone
who occupies a relatively high position, or one who is well-positioned to provide
PERCEPTIONS OF ADVISORS 16
institutional support, resources, opportunities, privileges, and services which are highly
valued.
• Millennial generation (millennials) – Millennials are the children of baby boomers or Gen
Xers.
• Adult millennials are defined as those who are 18 to 33 years old, born between 1981
and1996 (Pew Research Center, 2014).
• National Academic Advising Association (NACADA) – Recognized as the foremost
association for student service professionals who act as academic advisors to university
level students.
• Neophyte academic advisors are defined as those who have less than five years of
professional experience advising undergraduate students.
• Predominantly White Institution – The term used to describe institutions of higher
learning in which Whites account for 50% or more of the student enrollment (Dancy &
Brown, 2012).
• Prescriptive Advising – This method would have a student come to an advisor for a
solution to a specific issue or an advisor would typically answer specific questions and
direct the advising session (Crookston, 1972).
• Undecided students – Students who have not yet chosen a major course of study.
• Veteran academic advisors are defined as those who have five years, or more, of
professional experience advising undergraduate students.

PERCEPTIONS OF ADVISORS 17
Organization of the Study
The study outlined in Chapter One consists of an overview of the issues and the aim and
purpose of the study. Chapter Two contains a review the literature on the history of academic
advising relevant to the importance of the academic advisor in the development of the student
and the developmental theories that frame our reference of the college student and his support
systems. The millennial student and the changing phenomenon of the over-involved parent are
discussed in relation to the impact on academic advising practice. The setting is a liberal arts unit
of a major research, highly selective, primarily White, urban university. The academic advisors
involved were responsible for a cohort of students following letters, arts and sciences programs
of study and some who had not yet chosen a major course of study (undecided students).
Academic advisors were surveyed and interviewed about their perceptions of their relationships
with their advisees in light of parental involvement.
Chapter Three describes the population, surveys and interviews used for the study.
Chapter Four provides the analysis of data gathered using the methodology described in Chapter
Three. Chapter Five discusses conclusions and recommendations as well as areas for further
study.
The following chapter examines the literature relevant to the role of the academic advisor
in the history of higher education. Student development theories, specifically those of Chickering
and Reisser (1993), are discussed as they frame the college-aged student’s path to independence.
Literature on the millennial generation student and the changing dynamics in the relationships of
parents, students, and the institution are reviewed as they relate to the institution’s mission. The
developmental advising process is examined in its relevance to the current landscape of
academic advising at the college level.
PERCEPTIONS OF ADVISORS 18
CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW
This chapter includes a review of the history of academic advising in higher education
and discusses how the relationship between advisor and student is a crucial component of the
student experience. Viewpoints from developmental theorists Chickering and Reisser (1993), as
well as theories of the developmental advising model are examined for their relevance to the
topic. When considering the developmental theorists, specifically Chickering and Reisser, it is
important to note that, although their theory was developed in the 1990s, it remains, to a great
degree, relevant to today’s college-aged student. Although the developmental arc of college-aged
students seems slower than the theory suggests, the notion of a model that views the student
along a continuum, always moving forward, is helpful.
This chapter provides a history of the role of the academic advisor in the development of
the college-aged student and the importance of the student-advisor relationship in the
developmental process. Areas explored are the changing relationships among parents, their
children, and the institution in the higher education experience. The focus is on the perceptions
of academic advisors to the phenomenon of the over-involved parent and the effect on their
practice.
The developmental theory of Chickering and Reisser (1993) is examined to determine its
relevance. As well, the model of developmental advising as prescribed NACADA, that continues
to be recognized as a best practice, is discussed. It is important to note whether this trend towards
parents’ over-involvement in the college-aged students’ experience has an impact on advisors’
practice.

PERCEPTIONS OF ADVISORS 19
A History of Academic Advising in Higher Education
Through the lens of the student engagement theorists, most notably Tinto (1993), we
learn that students who have healthy home relationships are more engaged and successful in their
transition to university. These theorists viewed parental involvement as essential to student
success at university. However, it is also important to consider the trend of over-involved parents
through the eyes of the practitioner as well as the role of institutional agents in the university
setting. In addition, it is important to learn how these supports guide students through their
development as well as the how developmental theorists who study students’ growth from
adolescence to adulthood, such as Chickering and Reisser (1993), state humans grow to
independence or autonomy.
As Patton (2002) explained, it is important to look at some of these issues from a
historical perspective. The literature on academic advising suggests that the academic advising
experience is crucial to student success (Evans, Forney, Guido, Patton, & Renn, 2010; Gordon,
Habley, Grites, & Associates, 2008; Light, 2001). This view is significant, given that the
profession of academic advising did not exist until the early to mid-20th century. Early institutes
of higher education had no need for any type of student services largely because the institutions
relied on the professoriate to be mentors and serve in loco parentis to their charges. The focus
was on the intellectual life of the student. However, as the university changed over time, it
became clear that it is impossible for faculty to accomplish the task alone.
Two factors especially shaped the history of student services. At the turn of the 20th
century, economic, political and demographic trends forced dramatic changes in the nature of the
university. New programs were geared toward the social aspect of student life, including
dormitories, gymnasiums, and Greek life. As universities became larger and more residential,
PERCEPTIONS OF ADVISORS 20
institutions took on more of the responsibility for student life outside the classroom. Another
significant change included the shift from a clergy-run institution to one administered by laymen
from other professions; this is, perhaps, the pivotal point at which universities began to be seen
as business enterprises. Universities became bureaucratic organizations forced to compete for
resources. Changes in the ’70s, ’80s, and ’90s were fueled from outside the academy because of
political, social, and economic factors. As Lucas (2006) noted, “Growth became more
encompassing than the academy” (p. 196). It became clear that, in order to create the most
productive environment for student learning, universities needed to address more than quality of
life in the classroom, and, thus, the emergence of the student personnel movement. Institutes of
higher education were forced to compete for the most qualified student population and provide
services beyond those offered in order to entice college selection by students and parents.
The trappings of business enterprise evident in the operations of institutes of higher
education in the ’70s and ’80s set the stage for the present client-centered attitude of higher
education. Universities took on an even more enterprising role after the passage of the Bayh Dole
Act in 1980, which allowed them to profit from inventions and patents originating in their
institutions. “Competition was now built into the system at every level” (Lucas, 2006, p. 258);
the importance of the US News and World Report (2013) rankings of colleges and universities is
but one indicator of the increasing competitiveness of higher education. The 21st century
university is marked by a customer service philosophy, the student-consumer, and marketing in
admissions recruiting. The ’70s and ’80s brought the career-oriented student and, thus, the need
for an expanded academic advisor role.
The post-2000 era brought more pressure on institutions to attract and retain students.
The literature at this time showed a need for further improvements in academic advising, relating
PERCEPTIONS OF ADVISORS 21
advising to student retention (Cook, 2009). The first recommendation of the 2006 Spellings
Commission report on the future of higher education urged higher education to improve student
preparation and persistence, in part, by addressing non-academic issues. Colleges and
universities are intent on retaining the students they admit, and, therefore, the role of the advisor
in the overall education of university students becomes more prominent. “Good academic
advising also provides perhaps the only opportunity for all students to develop a personal,
consistent relationship with someone in the institution who cares about them” (Drake, 2011,
p.10). Stanton-Salazar (2011) described the role of student affairs professional as institutional
agents.
The Council for the Advancement of Standards in Higher Education (CAS), in its
contextual statement on the role of academic advising programs stated, “As higher education
curricula become increasingly complex and constituents intensify their demands for
accountability, pressure to make students’ academic experience more meaningful has increased.
Higher education, in turn, has responded with renewed attention to the need for high-quality
advising” (CAS, 2011, p. 1).
It is apparent, however, that students look to their parents for support, encouragement,
and to take care of all kinds of tasks and chores; it is important for academic advising
practitioners to understand the content, and type of, issues surrounding these interactions.
Simmons (2000) examined student-parent interactions around academic and career decisions in a
survey conducted at Brown University. Results are consistent with the notions that students rely
on their parents to help them make decisions during their college years.
There is an expectation by academic advisors that they will act as institutional agents, as
described by Stanton-Salazar (2011), guiding the development of their mentees. As institutional
PERCEPTIONS OF ADVISORS 22
agents, academic advisors help students navigate the often complex, layered terrain of financial
aid and experiential learning opportunities as well as help them discover other resources
available to support and augment their learning experiences. “Participating in distinct non-
familial sociocultural worlds, in preparation for adulthood, requires active engagement with
various agents within each world” (Stanton-Salazar, 2011, p. 1069). One such agent of the
university community is the academic advisor. One important responsibility of academic
advisors is to guide students to become increasingly more responsible for their own education
and to be capable of making good academic and potential professional choices. The goal is to
help students eventually become productive, responsible, and independent adults. The college-
aged student’s growth and development at this time seems to be at odds with parents’ over-
involvement.
Theoretical Viewpoints
Developmental theories view developmental change as a function of biological and social
maturation and examine how these relate to individual experiences, to the environment, or to the
interaction between the individual and the environment (Pascarella & Terenzini, 1991). The
psychosocial theories imply an individual’s sequential, age-related biological and psychological
development and that the environment shapes that development. Many student development
theories emphasize the need for autonomy and independence from parents as an essential
component of college adjustment.
Student Development Theory
Theories such as those of Chickering and Reisser (1993), whose seven vectors model
suggests that students experience pivotal turning points on their journey through the stages of
growth, can help us better understand how, at these focal junctures, institutional agents (student
PERCEPTIONS OF ADVISORS 23
affairs practitioners) have the opportunity to cultivate essential relationships with students. As
Chickering and Reisser stated, “To be effective in educating the whole student, colleges must
hire and reinforce staff members who understand what student development looks like and how
to foster it” (p. 185). While faculty in the classroom may be in a position to help students expand
their intellectual capabilities, they sometimes lack the opportunity to sustain long-term
relationships with undergraduates. Advisors, counselors, and mentors may fill this need.
Chickering and Reisser, outline a series of developmental stages, citing the university years as a
critical time for students to progress into adulthood. They note that parents’ significant
involvement in the experience of their college-aged children may have a negative impact on the
natural development of students during this formative time.
Built on the theory of Erikson (1950), who identified the establishment of identity as the
most important developmental task of the college-aged student, Chickering and Reisser (1993)
developed the seven vectors model of identity development, identifying specific psychological
tasks that occur at each stage. The vectors most relevant to view the college student’s
development are those that deal with developing competence and moving through autonomy
toward interdependence, including emotional independence. Excessive support from parents can
inhibit development of competence. Chickering and Reisser describe the process of the
development of emotional autonomy as beginning with a disengagement from parents. They
explicitly describe how separation is necessary for successful identity formation and that parents
can inhibit this by being overly restrictive, unsupportive, or domineering. Chickering and Reisser
propose a psychosocial model that assumes emotional, interpersonal, and ethical development is
as important as intellectual development. The seven vectors map a route leading to an end
destination of one’s way of being and communion with others.
PERCEPTIONS OF ADVISORS 24
The first vector, developing competencies, involves intellectual, or being able to use
one’s mind to process new material, to obtain intellectual sophistication, to gain the ability to
analyze and synthesize information, physical and manual, which revolves around gaining
strength and being fit, and interpersonal skills, involving the ability to understand and work with
people from various backgrounds and personalities. The second vector, managing emotions,
describes the acknowledgement and management of emotions. It is in this vector that one
acquires the ability to find a balance between stress and the expression of emotions. The third
vector, moving through autonomy toward independence, involves the development of emotional
and instrumental independence. The former deals with the diminishment of the need to obtain
constant reassurance in one’s actions, and the latter with the development of skills to think
critically about problems and solve them independent of others. The fourth vector deals with
developing mature relationships, developing tolerance and appreciation of differences,
understanding others in terms of intellectual and personal traits, and creating capacity for
intimacy and the ability to recognize and create healthy relationships with others.
The fifth vector involves comfort with appearance and body, gender and sexual
orientation, sense of self in a historical, social and cultural context. It includes clarification of
self-concept in response to feedback from valued others, self-acceptance, self-esteem, and
personal stability and integration. Vector six deals with developing purpose and the ability to be
intentional in both personal interests and career goals. This involves understanding self-values,
beliefs, and how these fit career aspirations. The seventh vector involves developing integrity.
This includes taking your and others’ beliefs into consideration before making decisions and
making decisions that respect one’s core values while not dismissing others and the congruence
of behavior to what society deems acceptable. When considering Chickering and Reisser’s
PERCEPTIONS OF ADVISORS 25
(1993) view of the need for college-aged students to acquire the skills to move towards
autonomy, the over-involvement of parents at this stage seems, apparently, a negative factor.
In addition to Chickering and Reisser (1993), perspectives from Kegan (1982) and King
and Baxter-Magolda (1996) are applicable. Cognitive-structural theory derives from the work of
Jean Piaget (1950) and describes a developmental process that deals with the nature and process
of change. Kegan’s order of consciousness theory is one such view. Kegan introduces a
constructive developmental theory of meaning-making that addresses the cognitive, social, and
emotional development of college students’ way of knowing. He proposes six self-evolution
orders of consciousness and states that, as a person’s development proceeds between and through
these orders, meaning-making undergoes changes that affect the individual’s view of self,
relation to others, and understanding of experience. Kegan suggests that, as individuals develop,
they undergo changes that affect their views of self, of their relation to others, and of
understanding experiences or meaning-making. One might argue that freshmen today are just
beginning to experience Kegan’s order three of meaning-making and need to experience the
independence that college provides them in order to develop freely (Pascarella & Terenzini,
1991). Adult life demands fourth order consciousness; many entering college students have only
reached second or third order consciousness. There seems to be a mismatch between college
students’ mental capacities and the demands made upon them by their college environment. “The
achievement of self-authorship and personal authority should be heralded as the central purpose
of higher education” (King & Baxter-Magolda, 1996, p. 166). The role of the advisor in the
development of the student seems central to this view.
Baxter-Magolda (2001) conducted a longitudinal study of 39 adults’ learning and
development from ages 18 to 30, citing the complexity of the journey to self-authorship. Societal
PERCEPTIONS OF ADVISORS 26
expectations of young adults require the capacity to construct their own vision, to act
appropriately and take responsibility for their actions. Students are at the threshold of self-
authorship at the end of their college years. Is this transition realistic considering the changing
dynamics of the student-parent relationship?
Jeffrey Arnett (2000) described a developmental stage he titled emerging adulthood,
which spans the late teens through the twenties. He believed this stage exists only in
industrialized societies where adolescents are allowed a prolonged period of exploration during
their late teens and early twenties. Arnett described a distinct phase, which is not adolescence but
also not yet young adulthood. Arnett cited Erikson’s theory (1950), explaining that there is no
stage that is analogous to his concept of emerging adulthood. Arnett emphasized the instability
of this phase and describes a time when emerging adults have left adolescence but have not yet
entered into adulthood.
If these perceptions can be generalized, one can easily imagine the developmental
trajectory into adulthood that we believe to be true has changed (Chickering & Reisser, 1993;
Erikson, 1950; Kegan, 1982).
Institutional Impact Theories
While many authors criticize the over-involved parent and suggest that their students are
not progressing to a level of independence, there are theorists who believe that the family
attachment is crucial to the college student’s success (Mattanah et al., 2004; Tinto, 1993).
However, these theorists do not identify what may be construed as a level of over-involvement.
On the opposing side of the issue, administrators in institutions of higher education are
experiencing more contact with parents of their students (Coburn, 2006; Cosby, 2014; Merriman,
2007; Rainey, 2006). Julie Lythcott-Haims, former dean at Stanford University, wrote about the
PERCEPTIONS OF ADVISORS 27
phenomenon in her book How to Raise an Adult: Break Free of the Over Parenting Trap and
Prepare Your Kids for Success, noting the negative repercussions. She explained how this over-
involvement produced overprotected, fearful, young adults (Lythoctt-Haims, 2015).
Tinto’s (1987, 1993) popular institutional impact theories attempt to explain college
student success using a model which includes elements of both academic and social integration.
Tinto theorized that students enter college with varying degrees of social and academic
characteristics and skills as well as varying degrees of motivation and commitment to remain in
college to degree completion. He explained how the student modifies these elements on a
continuing basis, based on a series of interactions between the student and the institution.
Positive encounters in both formal and informal institutional systems are presumed to set the
stage for greater integration and therefore greater student persistence.
Tinto (1993) theorized that separation from family and home communities is the first step
toward successful integration and subsequent retention in college. Nevertheless, he also believed
that students with healthy home attachments are more engaged at university and, then, more
successful. As Wolf, Sax, and Harper (2009) suggested, emphasis on letting go is contrary to our
understanding of life developmental stages. The emphasis on separation minimizes the
importance of the family connection in early and middle adulthood.
Researchers studying college student adjustment also explored the impact of parental
attachment and the development of autonomy (Carney-Hall, 2008; Hiester, Nordstrom, &
Swenson, 2009). Mattanah, Hancock, and Brand (2004) at first outlined early research
emphasizing the benefits of separation from parents for autonomy development and,
subsequently, moved to the view that supported parental attachment as important for a healthy
adjustment to college. They discovered positive college adjustment was associated with
PERCEPTIONS OF ADVISORS 28
attachment to parents. Their study supports the claim that positive parental attachment may
facilitate autonomy development and overall personal adjustment.
Mattanah et al. (2004) proposed that the relationship between parental involvement and
college adjustment is contingent upon healthy separation-individuation. Early theorists, such as
Chickering (1969), suggested that students with a strong sense of their individualism are better
able to handle the demands of independent functioning required for successful transition to
college. Separation-individuation was defined as the absence of negative feelings, such as
anxiety or guilt, in separation. Separation-individuation theories consistent with Mattanah et al.’s
study look at the developmental process that begins with separation from parents and peers and
extends to the individualization of self. The study used three sub-scales focusing on separation
anxiety, engulfment anxiety, and rejection expectancy. These scales have been shown to be
linked to student adjustment and student relationship with family members. This study supports
the evidence that both secure attachment relationship to parents and levels of separation-
individuation are good predictors of positive academic, social, personal and emotional
adjustment to college. Mattanah et al. found “students can be encouraged to see their parents as a
source of continuing emotional support and be told that part of the tools for success at college
involves maintain the supportive relationship with their parents” (p. 22).
Hiester et al. (2009) examined the relationship among attachment to parents, changes in
this attachment, and college freshmen’s psychological functioning and adjustment. They
surveyed 271 freshmen’s self-reported measures of parental attachment and college adjustment
on points of self-competence and psychological distress in two surveys administered during their
first semester of college. They found that greater feelings of security were associated with more
PERCEPTIONS OF ADVISORS 29
positive outcomes. Students whose relationships with their parents deteriorated over time
reported lower adjustment scores and higher levels of distress.
The family of theories in student affairs concerns itself with how students learn, what
elements come together to contribute to student success, and how the dynamics of the college
environment relate to educational purposes. When observing student growth, we must consider
the interaction of the student, the parent, and the institution. Psychosocial theory seems most
applicable when observing college students in their college environment, as the theory is
concerned with the content and task of development, often in a series of stages and always about
development in the context of the environment. Those researchers whose frameworks derive
from psychosocial development theory may view parental involvement as negative and
detrimental to the growth of the student. Using these models to view college student
development, one can see how parents’ over-involvement in the lives of their college-aged
children may negatively affect the student’s ability to move to an independent stage.
Academic Advising Practice
According to Grites (2013), there are three recognized forms or styles of academic
advising. He described the prescriptive, or linear, process where the interaction is one-way:
advisor to student. The developmental model results as a transactional 2-way interaction between
advisor and student, where advisor and student are equal partners. The third model described by
Grites is that of a hybrid of the previous two, sometimes called Praxis.
Developmental Model of Advising
Developmental advising continues to be the one most often endorsed by NACADA. CAS
developed a set of guiding standards used by practicing professionals. “The purpose of CAS is to
develop and promulgate standards that enhance the quality of a student’s total learning
PERCEPTIONS OF ADVISORS 30
experience in higher education” (CAS, 2006, p. 15). Crookston (1972) defines developmental
advising as a process based on the advisor-student relationship where, together, they engage in a
series of developmental tasks. Grites (2013) maintains that developmental advising continues to
be a comprehensive approach to academic advising. As he described, “Developmental Academic
Advising is defined as a systematic process based on a close student-advisor relationship
intended to aid students in achieving educational, career, and personal goals through the
utilization of the full range of institutional and community resources” (Grites, 2013, p. 6).
Crookston suggested that this approach is holistic in nature. Frost and Brown-Wheeler (2003)
emphasized the notion of shared responsibility between advisor and student and agreed with
Crookston’s theory of developmental advising as a teaching process. They note that
“developmental advising understands advising as a system of shared responsibility in which the
primary goal is to help the student take responsibility for his or her own decisions and action”
(Frost & Brown-Wheeler, 2003, p. 234). Bowen et al. (2011) conducted a qualitative study
examining millennial generation undergraduates’ learning experiences at a public university
reporting these students’ voices. The learning styles identified suggest that the developmental
model is prevalent.
Although the developmental arc of college-aged students seems slower than the theory
suggests, the notion of a model that views the student along a continuum, always moving
forward, is helpful. Grites (2013) described the concept as an approach that allows advisors to
accept students at their developmental stage and assist each student in coordinating a rewarding
college experience. He maintained that developmental advising continues to be a comprehensive
approach to academic advising. “Whether practicing the intentionality of proactive (formerly
intrusive) advising (Varney, 2013), or appreciative advising (Bloom, Hutson, & He, 2013) the
PERCEPTIONS OF ADVISORS 31
advisor of today integrates the common thread of the developmental approach to assist students
in achieving their goals and maximizing their opportunities for success” (Grites, 2013, p. 12).
The Millennial Student
Howe and Strauss (2000) provided a framework for characterizing the traits of the
millennial. They tell us that this generation is special, sheltered, confident, team-oriented,
achieving, pressured, and conventional. “All these traits represent a sharp break from the traits
that are associated with Generation X” that which precedes the millennials (Howe & Strauss,
2000, p. 45). Bowen et al. (2011) identified both prescriptive and developmental processes as
preferred methods of interaction, in combination, with their academic advisors. Shoup, Gonyea,
and Kuh (2009) examined the impact on parental involvement citing the College Parents of
America survey (2006) where 74% of parents reported communicating with their children at
least three times weekly while one-third communicated daily. They discuss Generation Xers, or
millennials born after 1982. “Their childhoods are said to have been highly programmed and
supervised and this close parental monitoring is believed to continue into the college years with
almost constant contact from their parents” (Shoup et al., 2009, p. 5). While parental
involvement at the elementary and high school levels is viewed as positive, there is little noted
research on the effects at the college level. Shoup et al. found that 13% of first-year students and
8% of seniors reported parental involvement at a frequent intervention level. Twenty-five percent
of first-year students and 21% of seniors indicated a sometimes intervention level. While this
study reported a relatively small level of parental involvement, it is students and parents who
measure the effects. This changing involvement of parents in the millennial student college
experience can also be viewed from another perspective, that of the professional academic
advisors who mentor these students:
PERCEPTIONS OF ADVISORS 32
The Millennial generation’s unique characteristics will challenge advisors to stay abreast
of changing dynamics among their students. If advisors are ready for these challenges,
they will be able to serve their students better…The Millennial generation is here;
advisors had better be ready” (Keeling, 2003, p. 35).
Relationship Among Students, Parents, and the Institution
Parents are making involvement in the academic experiences of their college-aged
offspring a priority (Carney-Hall, 2008; Lipka, 2007; Upcraft, Gardner, & Associates, 1990;
Upcraft, Gardner, Barefoot, & Associates, 2005). This includes frequent contact with their
college-aged children while they are away at school as well as an increased level of contact
between parents and university officials. Howe and Strauss (2000) explained how students are
equal partners in the phenomenon, often initiating contact and calling upon their parents for
assistance in areas of time management, money, and moral support. Others suggested that
students see these parental interventions as positive (Hoover, 2008; Wartman & Savage, 2008).
On the other side, there are student affairs professionals who negatively view the parents’
increased involvement happening at “levels of intensity and in matters of minutiae they say they
have never before witnessed” (Cutright, 2008, p. 39). Cutright (2008) described an environment
of students and parents in the early 21st century that is very different than it was even a few
years earlier. He cited changes in the ideal of in loco parentis, the college acting in place of
parents, in regulating behavior. The constitutional amendment giving eighteen-year-olds the right
to vote and the federal Buckley Amendment, later the Family Educational Rights and Privacy
Act (FERPA), produced a shift in the regulation of the complex relationships among students,
parents, and the institution. Cutright also noted the changes in communications between students
and their parents, describing the ease of contact through cell phones, and email. “Are these
PERCEPTIONS OF ADVISORS 33
circumstances of a failure to let go and grow up, or a tool of keeping families connected in
supportive ways that contribute to student success? As with most other complex circumstances, it
depends” (Cutright, 2008, p.40).
Much of the literature about helicopter parents portrayed these parents as having a
negative influence on their college-aged children, but the data suggests that this is not so; some
authors noted that much of this literature is based on anecdotal information, not long-term
studies (Carney-Hall, 2008; Cutright, 2008; Hoover, 2007, 2008; Wills, 2005). In fact, recent
studies suggested that student achievement and parental involvement are positively correlated
(Carney-Hall, 2008; Hiester et al., 2009; Mattanah et al., 2004; Taub, 2008). “The term
‘helicopter parents’ focuses attention solely on the parents, distracting the speaker and the
listener from the fact that today’s students are equal partners in the phenomenon, frequently
initiating contact and calling upon their parents for assistance” (Taub, 2008, p. 16). The change
in students’ attitudes about their parents’ involvement is evident based on the results of
numerous college surveys. Students report that they want their parents to hover (Hoover, 2008).
College students, themselves, identify their parents as the most influential people in their lives
and expect their parents to continue to help them work out their problems, even after they move
out of the family home and on to university. Literature on the millennial generation, the offspring
of baby boomers who are now of college age, showed that this generation of students is more
closely attached to their parents and relies on them far more than past generations did (Hoover,
2007, 2008; Howe & Strauss, 2000; Scott & Daniel, 2001; Wills, 2005). Technology has also
played a role in the helicopter parent phenomenon. The ease and speed with which parents and
students can connect using their cell phones and computers resulted in increased parent-student
PERCEPTIONS OF ADVISORS 34
contact (Cutright, 2008; Donovan & McKelfresh, 2008; Lum, 2006; Merriman, 2007; Scott &
Daniel, 2001).
There are many surveys administered to college students to examine their academic
engagement and their growth in personal, social, and community awareness areas. The NSSE, a
widely used annual survey developed at Indiana University, asks students to evaluate their level
of involvement in the academic experience, including in-class and outside-class activities.
Students are also asked to rate the institution’s contribution to their development of analytical
and critical skills as well as personal growth in the area of understanding self in relation to
others. Lipka (2007) notes that, according to the most recent NSSE results, students whose
parents intervene on their behalf in university issues–38% of freshmen and 29% of seniors–say
they are more active in and satisfied with college. A number of researchers explored the
connection between parental involvement and student success, noting positive outcomes. Some
researchers have begun to see benefits to students in closer continuing relationships with their
families.
The University of California Undergraduate Experience Survey (UCUES) asks students
to evaluate aspects of campus life, including academic advising, campus climate, courses and
instruction, and interaction with faculty. The survey provides information about student behavior
in areas of academic and interpersonal skills, including questions about student life and personal
development, academic and civic engagement. UCUES also collects data on family and
immigration background, but it does not specifically ask students to what extent, and how, their
parents are involved in their university experience. UCUES results showed that contact and
involvement was greatest among women, freshmen, and upper middle-class students.
PERCEPTIONS OF ADVISORS 35
Comparisons revealed lower levels of involvement in academic issues but higher than average
levels of contact for various ethnic groups.
The goal of the College Senior Survey is to better understand student learning and
development, asking the student how much s/he has grown in the areas of critical thinking,
interpersonal skills, community/global awareness and involvement, and preparedness for
employment or graduate school after college. The only question on this survey that relates to
parental involvement deals with educational expenses. The College Student Experience
Questionnaire asks students to estimate their gains in developmental terms, dealing with
becoming more aware of self and environment but asks no questions about parental involvement
in attaining these gains. The Community College Survey of Student Engagement asks only one
question about how supportive the student’s immediate family is about her/his attending college.
College Parents of America, an advocacy association for parents of college students, conduct a
national survey in which the purpose is to gauge the level of parental involvement during their
children’s college years, to determine the level and type of communication between parents and
their college-aged children, and to identify major parent concerns during these years (2007). In
the year of its inception, 800 of 40,000 parents responded to the survey. According to the
College Parents of America (2006), 34% of parents in their sample reported communicating with
their children either daily or more than once a day. Seventy-four percent communicated with
their child two to three times per week, and one in three did so at least once a day (Rainey,
2006). The mode of communication in 90% of cases was the cell phone. Areas of greatest
concern for parents were academics (34%), finances (24%), and career planning, health and
safety (12%). Comparisons were also done on the level of involvement of parents’ parents in
their own college educational experience. Fifty-three percent of parents said they were much
PERCEPTIONS OF ADVISORS 36
more involved in their children’s college life than their own parents were in their education, and
82% reported more involvement. The respondents in the 2007 College Parents of America
Survey more than doubled in number than the previous year, and the results were almost
identical, with 31% of parents communicating with their student once a day and 73% two to
three times per week. According to a recent Pew Research Center report (2010), 80% of students
said they had spoken to their parents in the past day. These surveys cited measure high
involvement by high frequency of contact. It seems clear that the available surveys do not
address the issue of specific types of parental involvement that relate to student success or
growth. Other components that need be explored are the types of contact engaged in by students
and their parents. What is the quality and purpose of these interactions?
Bonfiglio (2009) stated the challenge of promoting student independence in the context
of the frequency of contact between students and their parents. He also noted the number of
students who return to live with their parents after graduating college and questioned whether
universities’ goals of promoting student self-reliance are “fully in sync with the reality of twenty-
first- century life” (Bonfiglio, 2009, p. 30). Several authors recognized that times have changed
and suggest that institutions need to partner with parents to ensure that all are working toward the
common goal of success for the student (Cutright, 2008; Donovan & McKelfresh, 2008; Lum,
2006; Merriman, 2007; Scott & Daniel, 2001).
The Changing Dynamics
In recent years, student affairs professionals began to focus their attention more closely
on the issue of parents’ involvement in the lives of their students. Literature on the topic suggests
there has been a change in the relationships between parents and their college-aged children and
also that between parents and institutions of higher education (Cutright, 2008; Howe & Strauss,
PERCEPTIONS OF ADVISORS 37
2000; Lum, 2006; Merriman, 2007; Scott & Daniel, 2001; Wartman & Savage, 2008; White,
2005).
Researchers who study the issues of how relationships have changed between students
and parents and between parents and the university note a number of reasons for this change,
citing changing family structures and support, changing parent and student attitudes, and
increased access with available technologies (Howe & Strauss, 2000; Merriman, 2007; Wartman
& Savage, 2008). Carney-Hall (2008) noted the changes in family structures, the increase in
single-parent and blended families and suggested that students today have more input from
significant adults and siblings. A number of authors point to the change in parents’ attitudes
(Merriman, 2007; Scott & Daniel, 2001). They cite a feeling of consumerism and greater
parental involvement that, in turn, leads to parents’ greater expectations of the institution. Given
the high cost of university and the many choices available to college-bound students, parents and
students have adopted the view of themselves as customers and of the institution as a service
provider. With this consumer mentality, parents view their involvement as an entitlement
(Merriman, 2007; Scott & Daniel, 2001). Merriman (2007) viewed this behavior as parents’
diminishing the learning opportunities that higher education “purposefully presents to students.
Such attitudes challenge the fundamental work of the student affairs professional: the
commitment to support the development of the whole student” (Merriman, 2007, p. 1).
Tips are offered on how to deal with helicopter parents, such as how to make more
information available to them, how to provide more programming for them and, in general, how
to establish positive relationships which will benefit their students as well as the institution.
Many created parent programs, special orientations, or other services to address the issues of
parent involvement and to include parents and families in the college experience (Coburn, 2006;
PERCEPTIONS OF ADVISORS 38
Cutright, 2008; Merriman, 2007; Scott & Daniel, 2001; Wills, 2005). Others stress the
importance of improving the institution’s relationships with parents and families (Donovan &
McKelfresh, 2008; Merriman, 2007; Scott & Daniel, 2001; Wills, 2005). Scott and Daniel (2001)
stated that institutions must pay attention to the institution-student-parent relationship in order to
ensure consistency of message, policy, and programs. They claimed it is the responsibility of the
institution to assess how successfully policies and programs support each student’s academic
experience. Donovan and McKelfresh (2008) encourage institutions to acknowledge the benefits
of bringing parents and families into the university equation. They cited current assessment
information on parents and families’ interests and discussed the importance of being in
community with these groups.
Others have decried parents’ over-involvement and intrusion in the college process,
suggesting that we need to draw the line when allowing parents to become involved in their
children’s college experience (Cutright, 2008; Taub, 2008; White, 2005). A 2001 survey of mid-
and senior-level student affairs professionals who were in positions relating to parent service
revealed that 93% of respondents experienced a rise in parent interactions in the past five years
(Merriman, 2007). “The good intentions of helicopter parents often collide with the teachable
moment instincts of administrators who believe that students should assume responsibility for
their own academic and social progress” (White, 2005, p. 17). Millennials, as a generation, also
appear to be much more willing to accept the values and societal norms of their parents than
were previous generations, and, as a result, are likely to turn to them for advice (Debard, 2004;
Howe & Strauss, 2000; NSSE, 2007). In fact, more than three quarters of students say they ask
for and follow their parents’ advice (NSSE, 2007; Wartman & Savage, 2008). Results from a
study conducted in 2007 also suggested that students more readily accept their parents’ advice on
PERCEPTIONS OF ADVISORS 39
a subject because they believe that their parents have a good understanding of their needs and
interests (Creamer, 2007). Over the last decade, institutions of higher education learned to adapt
to the changing role of parents in the college environment and have involved them more in
college life (Mullendore, & Banahan, 2005; Wartman & Savage, 2008). Wartman and Savage
(2008) suggested that institutions need to define and support appropriate parental involvement
instead of reacting to expectations and demands of these parents in a negative manner.
Overall Impact
Educators might be surprised at results of studies on the impact of parent involvement on
college student development. Since the late 1990s, researchers began to gather data to help them
both better define these changed relationships and examine the variables and possible
consequences. Researchers offered different interpretations of the literature, depending on their
own theoretical model of college student development. Researchers who approach the issue from
a student engagement theoretical framework address what happens to students as they enter and
move through their college years (Astin, 1984; Mattanah et al., 2004; Tinto, 1993). These
theorists view the attachment to parent and family as an integral part of the students’ college
experience. They see parent-student contact as a positive aspect in helping the student adapt to a
new environment. Through the lens of the student engagement theorists, most notably Tinto
(1993), we learn that students who have healthy home relationships are more engaged and
successful in their transition to university. However, from the viewpoint of developmental
theorists, students need to detach from their parents, in some ways, to begin their journey to
adulthood (Chickering & Reisser, 1993; Kegan, 1982; King & Baxter-Magolda, 1996).

PERCEPTIONS OF ADVISORS 40
Summary
There are a number of concerns fundamental to understanding the impact of parental
involvement. Many authors addressed the need for further research and cited the lack of
empirical data on the effect of parental involvement on their college-aged children (Carney-Hall,
2008; Cutright, 2008; Hoover, 2007, 2008; Lum, 2006; Wolf et al., 2009). Many surveys noted
measure frequency of contact between parent and student, but they do not necessarily give us an
indication of what type of contact there is. Wolf et al. (2009) investigated parental involvement
in college students’ lives, measuring the mode and frequency of communication and the variance
across different student populations. Wolf et al. (2009) suggested we have limited knowledge
and understanding of the content of the communication between parent and student and its
influence on the student. Since it is apparent that students look to their parents for support,
encouragement, and to take care of all kinds of tasks and chores, it is important for us to
understand the content of and type of issues surrounding these interactions. What type is
advantageous? What are the issues being discussed?
Some authors suggested that we have over generalized about helicopter parents because
white, middle-class parents are the current sample. “To date the most involved parents on college
campuses tend to be white, affluent college graduates, according to deans, although that profile
may change as campuses become more diverse” (Hoover, 2007, p. A33). Numerous researchers
share the view of this sample as not indicative of our current college student populations. Wolf et
al.’s (2009) study revealed that the concept of helicopter parent does not apply to all and that
previous research focused on the practices of white middle-class parents. Researchers found that
universities responded to the issue of helicopter parents, but they may be viewing this
phenomenon through a white, middle-class lens. Wolf et al. (2009) attempted to explore parent
PERCEPTIONS OF ADVISORS 41
engagement in college students’ academic lives and found significant differences across different
student populations. It is clear that the effect of parental involvement on student success and the
variance across different student populations warrants more research (Carney-Hall, 2008;
Cutright, 2008; Hoover, 2007, 2008; Lum, 2006; Wolf et al., 2009).
Perceptions of practitioners who mentor college-aged students about the changing
relationships among students, parents, and the institution may give us a better understanding of
the experiences of the student as s/he moves towards self-reliance. A crucial goal of academic
advising is to help students become increasingly more independent as they move through their
college careers, mentoring them to, ultimately, acquire the skills needed to make good academic
and life decisions for themselves. The phenomenon of helicopter parenting changed the
complexion of the student- advisor relationship (Howe & Strauss, 2000). This study was an
attempt to better understand the phenomenon and, ultimately, use the data to inform practice.

PERCEPTIONS OF ADVISORS 42
CHAPTER THREE: METHODOLOGY
This chapter discusses the methodological design of this qualitative study. As previously
mentioned in Chapters One and Two, the purpose of this study was to examine the perceptions of
academic advisors and their experiences with parental involvement in the lives of their college-
aged students and the impact, if any, on the advisor student relationship, specifically the practice
of developmental advising.
Rationale
The nature of the issue of parental involvement in the college life of their children is
sometimes contrary to the objectives of academic advising. As previously discussed, colleges
and universities are experiencing greater involvement of parents in the day-to-day lives of
students, and parents are taking a more active role in their students’ college experience (Cutright,
2008; Howe & Strauss, 2000; Lum, 2006; Merriman, 2007).
By using an applied research model, we may better understand the dynamics of
relationships between parents and their students as they reach college age and move through their
college years. This deeper understanding of the phenomenon may better prepare student affairs
professionals for their task of mentoring these students as they grow and deal with the changing
realities. Patton (2002) explained the purpose of an applied model as one that contributes
knowledge that will help people understand the nature of the problem in order to intervene.
Using Patton’s typology of research purposes, the purpose is to understand the nature of the
problem and be able to solve the problem using knowledge or basic research (Creswell, 2009).
Patton cites action research as a process whereby the people involved in information gathering
are often directly involved in the issue. The assumption is that people in a setting can solve
problems by studying themselves. Patton describes this type of research as having the narrowest
PERCEPTIONS OF ADVISORS 43
focus. Stringer’s (2007) description of action research, which aims to solve specific problems in
a setting, is applicable in this study.
Patton (2002) suggested purposeful sampling is an effective method to draw an in-depth
analysis of information-rich cases meant to address the questions under study (p. 230). By using
this type of analysis, this study was not intended to be generalizable to a larger population, but
may yield information on a great deal about factors and issues that are central to understanding
the nature of these important relationships.
Some research and survey results suggest that the number of college-aged students who
look to their parents for help is relatively small (NSSE, 2007; Shoup et al., 2009). Some
challenged the stereotype of the helicopter parent (Hoover, 2007, 2008; Lipka, 2007). Others
suggested that the millennial generation, who are now of college age, are much more dependent
on their parents for advice in many areas (Arnett, 2000, 2001; Bonfiglio, 2009; Cosby, 2014;
Howe & Strauss, 2000, 2003; Lythcott-Haims, 2015; Parrott, 2010; White, 2005).
For the purpose of this study, the population discussed is the adult millennial: those born
between 1981 and 1996, as defined by the Pew Research Center (2014).
The nature of the issue of parental involvement in the college life of their children is
sometimes contrary to the objectives of academic advising. This study examined the perceptions
of academic advisors who work with these students about this increase in parental influence and
its impact, if any, on the advisor-student relationship, specifically the process of developmental
advising. This was a phenomenological study discussing the lived experience of advisors as
described by advisors.

PERCEPTIONS OF ADVISORS 44
Sample and Site Selection
The study was conducted at Westover University (WU). Located in the Pacific
Northwest, WU is a large, private, highly selective, predominantly White, research institution. In
Fall 2015, WU had a student population of 35,000 students, 16,000 of whom were
undergraduates. This site was chosen because of its strong parent programs in the areas of
admission, conversion of admitted students, new student orientation, welcome week, parents
weekend, through graduation and commencement. WU has attempted to integrate parents in
many aspects of programming.
This was a case study of a real site using actual theories and research references. All
names, organizations, and locations are identified with pseudonyms, and all case study setting-
related data were made anonymous. This is an academic advising office in the liberal arts unit at
WU. It is one of nine similar units at the university responsible for advising undergraduate
students. This unit is of particular interest because these advisors are responsible for advising
students who enter the university with a major course of study in the liberal arts or not yet having
identified an academic area they wish to pursue. Of this population, some students are truly
undecided, exploring possible academic paths. Others decided on a major, but have not yet
declared officially for a variety of reasons. The makeup of the student population is
predominantly White, with only 15% of the population made up of under-represented minority
students (African American, Latino, and Asian). Approximately 52% are female and 48% are
male. The academic ability of these students range from those enrolled in honors programs to
those in remedial programs. Advisors in this unit will have the most diverse experiences with
these university populations, as compared to advisors who are responsible for advising
professional school students whose curricula and professional paths have been established.
PERCEPTIONS OF ADVISORS 45
The professional staff in the office consists of one director (female Caucasian) one
associate director (female African American) three assistant directors (one Latino male, one
Caucasian female, one African American female) and 25 professional academic advisors charged
with the responsibility of advising freshman and sophomore students. Of these 25 professional
advisors, eight are male (five Latino, two Asian American, and one Caucasian), 17 are female
(eight Latina, five African American, two Asian American, two Caucasian).
Data Collection and Instrumentation
Patton (2002) suggested various methods of observation when using qualitative research
models. In particular, he suggested field-based observations in which the researcher described
the setting, the people, the activities going on, and the meanings of what was observed. He
classified observer methods, noting observer involvement as that of participant, onlooker, or both
and the insider versus the outsider perspective. Patton described nested and layered case studies
explaining that “a single case study is likely to be made up of many smaller cases – the stories of
specific individual, families, organizational units, and other groups” (p. 297). In an attempt to
understand some of the characteristics of the helicopter parent phenomenon, and the perception
of advisors of the effect of this changing dynamic, many of the methods that Patton outlined in a
qualitative approach can be employed.
Twenty-eight of the 45 liberal arts advisors were purposefully selected for a questionnaire
distribution. This questionnaire was administered to 28 academic advisor volunteers (Appendix
C). All 28 of these advisors reported directly or indirectly to the researcher in some capacity.
Questionnaire respondents were separated into two groups (those advisors with less than five
years of experience and those with five, or more years). This determination was based on my
own professional experience as a manager of undergraduate academic advisors. Questionnaires
PERCEPTIONS OF ADVISORS 46
in each of the two groups were then separated by student area of study. Demographic
information and anecdotal impressions of advisors were examined (Appendix A). Of these
respondents, eight advisors were selected for interview. Of these eight, four advisors who had
fewer than five years’ experience in the profession as well as four who had been practicing for
five years or more were randomly selected. One advisor in each of the areas of study (natural
sciences, social sciences, humanities, and undecided) from each of the two groups (neophytes
and veterans) were interviewed to note any possibly discipline-related differences. Veteran
advisors were chosen for their experience in the field, the intention being that they might be able
to comment on changes that occurred in their practice as a result of the changing parent-student
dynamic. All of these advisors meet with students every semester to approve course selection
and ensure timely graduation as well as to help students plan for future academics and careers;
they serve as agents of the university for undergraduate students. They were well placed to
discuss the issues.
Surveys
A survey was administered to 28 academic advisors in a liberal arts unit of a large urban
institution in order to collect demographic data on the advisor and the student population they
advise. The survey was used to identify eight advisors for interview (four with less than 5 years’
experience in the field of advising and four with 5 years, or more, of experience). This survey
also used open-ended questions about a specific advisor interaction with student that involved
parents, in some way (Appendix A).
Questions 1 through 3 in Section 1 collected demographic information, question 4
determined which advisors fell into the experience range of “less than 5 years or 5 years or
more.” Questions 5 through 9 in Section 2 addressed advisor experience, if any, with parental
PERCEPTIONS OF ADVISORS 47
involvement, frequency of contact, type of contact, stated purpose by parent, and student
involvement around the issue.
Eight advisors from this group, four who had been academic advisors for fewer than five
years and four who had been practicing for at least five years, one from each area of student
study, the natural sciences, the social sciences, the humanities, and the undecided population,
were randomly selected for interview. The rationale for this selection of interviewees was to
cover as wide a range of advisors experiences as possible and to note whether there were
differences in experiences based on specific student populations.

PERCEPTIONS OF ADVISORS 48
Interviews
Eight advisors who completed the survey were randomly selected for interview based on
their student area of study. Respondents were divided into four groups, based on student area of
study. Four advisors with less than five years’ experience in the field and four advisors with five
years or more of advising experience were randomly selected for interview from each of these
four areas. Interview questions related to a specific parent-student issue that had an impact on the
advisor-student relationship in some way. The protocol included questions about advisors’
experience with parents’ interventions in the academic lives of their university-aged children
(Appendix B). Advisors were asked to comment on the experiences they had regarding student-
parent relationships that have an impact on the advisor-student relationship with an emphasis on
the developmental advising process. Has this parental involvement had an effect, positive or
negative on their practice? Advisors’ self-reported styles of advising were examined
(prescriptive vs. developmental). Advisors were asked whether they experienced a change in
their interaction with students vis-à-vis parental involvement and, if yes, whether they changed
their own practice of developmental advising as a result.
Advisors were asked to narrate their experiences with parents and to describe one
experience. These advisors had an excellent feel for the involved parent culture since they were
totally immersed in the helicopter parent phenomenon from the practitioner perspective (Howe &
Strauss, 2000). The objective was to understand their perceptions of parental involvement and
whether they see a need to reevaluate or adjust their practice of developmental academic
advising as a result.
The structure of the interview was a session no longer than thirty-minutes with no
distractions; the location was the office of one of the participant academic advisors. The setting
PERCEPTIONS OF ADVISORS 49
was comfortable and safe. A “Do Not Disturb” sign was posted on the door to the interview
room and all phone calls to the office were blocked to ensure no distractions. In preparation for
the meeting, advisor participants were instructed that the purpose of the interview was to share
experiences they had with their students’ parental involvement and their perceptions of the
changes, if any, in the advisor-student relationship as a result of this involvement. The session
was informal and conversational. The aim was to get them to tell a story. Advisors were also
asked what changes, if any, they experienced in their advisor-student relationships as a result of
over-involved parents and whether their practice changed as a result.
The session was digitally recorded and later transcribed with written permission from the
advisor respondents.
Data Analysis
Interview data were transcribed from digital recording and coded by theme and frequency
of response including experiences, perceptions, and practice. Interviewees were asked about their
perceptions of the impact, if any, on the advisor-student relationship they experienced in relation
to parents’ over-involvement in the lives of their college-aged students, noting specific instances.
In reference to advising practice, using Chickering and Reisser’s (1993) seven vectors of
development model, has this over involvement, if any, affected these advisors’ practice of
developmental advising?

PERCEPTIONS OF ADVISORS 50
CHAPTER FOUR: RESULTS
This study was an attempt to better understand undergraduate academic advisors’
perceptions of the phenomenon of the over involved parent and the effect, if any, on the advisor-
student relationship. The data presented in this chapter were drawn from questionnaires and in-
person interviews with individual advisors. The results were guided by the research questions
regarding academic advisors’ perceptions of the advisor-student relationship in light of the
changing dynamics between parents and their college-aged students and the advisors’ continued
practice of developmental advising.
Chickering and Reisser’s (1993) seven vectors model of identity development describes
the process of development of emotional autonomy and the separation from parents as the
beginning of this process. The vectors most relevant to view the development of the college-aged
students are those that deal with developing competence and moving through autonomy toward
interdependence, including emotional independence. Students at the college level are expected to
be developing at vector four of Chickering and Reisser’s model. Excessive involvement by
parents may inhibit development of competence. Chickering and Reisser describe disengagement
from parents as essential to students at this stage on their path to identity formation and suggest
that parents may inhibit the development of competence by being overly domineering. The
literature suggests that parents today are more involved in the college lives of their children.
When considering Chickering and Reisser’s view of the need for college-aged students to
acquire the skills to move towards autonomy, the over-involvement of parents at this stage
seems, apparently, a negative factor.
Advisors have come to expect a certain level of independence from the college-aged
students they mentor. Student development theory, based on Chickering and Reisser’s (1993)
PERCEPTIONS OF ADVISORS 51
model as the foundation for the model of developmental advising, assumes that the college-aged
student will take increasingly more responsibility for their college experience. Yet, parents
themselves acknowledge that they are more involved than their own parents were a generation
ago. In a study conducted at the University of Minnesota, when asked about their level of
involvement or communication with their child as compared to the involvement or
communication they had with their parents when they were in college, 78.7% of parents said
they are more involved or much more involved (Savage, 2007). A similar question posed by
College Parents of America, an advocacy association for parents of college students, in a national
survey shows that 81% of respondents identified themselves as more, or much more, involved
than their own parents had been (College Parents of America, 2007).
Academic advisors must be cognizant and understand this phenomenon; it may be useful
to incorporate this knowledge into their practice. “Student affairs professionals are committed to
the development of the student as a whole person and when this development is delayed or
obstructed by parents this challenges student affairs work” (Merriman, 2006 p. 74). This was a
study of the perceptions of academic advisors of this increased parental involvement and whether
this involvement by parents affects the advisor-student relationship.
The aim of this study was to examine the perceptions of academic advisors who work
with undergraduate students in a liberal arts college of their experiences with over-involved
parents and the effect, if any, on their student-advisor relationships. The model of developmental
advising was examined as a continued viable model of practice. Advisors with more than five
years’ experience in the field of academic advising, described as veterans, as well as advisors
who were less experienced, those with fewer than five years practicing the profession, described
here as neophytes, were surveyed and interviewed. In addition to questions asked during the
PERCEPTIONS OF ADVISORS 52
interviews, veteran advisors were asked whether they had seen a difference in the instances of
parental involvement since the beginning of their academic advising careers.
This chapter describes the survey and interview participants and discusses their
perceptions of the phenomenon of the over-involved parent and their views on the positive,
negative, or null effect on their relationship with their students. When reviewing a specific
interaction with parents about their students, advisors were asked about their advising style,
noting the developmental advising model and their own expectations of a level of student
independence.
What are the perceptions of academic advisors in a liberal arts unit of a 4-year institution
of the impact, if any, of the adult millennial student and over-involved parent to the advisor-
student relationship? This study examined academic advisor perceptions based on in-person
interviews and participant questionnaires focusing on the areas of student development and the
interactions among the parent, the student, and the advisor. The purpose of the initial research
question was to determine whether these particular advisors perceived the dynamics of the over-
involved parent to have an impact on their relationships with their students.
Do academic advisors view the developmental advising model as still relevant to the
adult millennial student in light of the changing parent-student dynamic? Is the developmental
model of advising currently practiced still a viable model?
The findings presented in this chapter were viewed in relation to these research questions
and the emerging themes emerged were examined.
The Organization
This study took place in a liberal arts unit of WU (a pseudonym), a large urban research
university. One reason for the selection of WU as a site for this study was the strong parent
PERCEPTIONS OF ADVISORS 53
connections the institution attempted to establish through various programs. One such program
was the orientation of new students where parents engage in a series of workshops and
discussions with university administrators together and in sessions separate from their children.
Special emphasis was placed on establishing forums where parents can ask questions and meet
with other parents. WU also hosted a family weekend during the fall semester when parents and
other family members return to the campus to take part in various social activities, as well as
educational programs and seminars. The philosophy of WU, in many ways, revolved around the
student and family and the institution all working together as a unit. There was a strong sense of
community, which was clearly evident and, in many ways, unique.
This philosophy created an expectation, an accurate one, that the approach by student
advisors would be very hands-on. The university developed an online student documentation
system, separate from the formal records databases, where advisors recorded their interactions
with students and any other information that would help the advisor follow the student’s progress
in areas other than academic through the college years. There was also a procedure of mandatory
advisement that pushed students to meet with their advisor at least once before every registration
period. There was an expectation, as well, that advisors would follow up with students after each
meeting. The hope was that advisors would establish relationships with their mentees and that
these students would meet with advisors on many other occasions as they progressed through
their college years. Because of this hands-on approach, advisors supported students through not
only course and program selection, but also through the career exploration phase of college and,
because of the nature of the advisor-student relationship, many of the student’s personal issues.
This liberal arts academic unit was the largest of all units at the university, and the
students in this unit had the most diverse areas of study. There were 42 academic advisors in the
PERCEPTIONS OF ADVISORS 54
unit who worked with undergraduate students following programs in the natural sciences, the
social sciences, and the humanities as well as students who had not yet decided on a major
course of study. This particular unit was chosen because of the range of student areas of study
and the flexibility of curriculum between these students and students following a professional
school course of study where curriculum is specific and required. In units where there is such a
lock-step academic plan, and a career outcome, there may be less of a need for parents to involve
themselves in some of the curricular issues facing students following liberal arts studies. Parents
of these students may be concerned about their student’s success in relation to choosing and
following a career path. Also, the nature of the advising meetings may be much different in the
liberal arts, as student are unsure and still exploring careers.
The student-advisor ratio in these populations varied and could be as low as 50 students
per advisor and as high as 300 students per advisor, with ratios in the natural sciences being
higher than those of any other population within the liberal arts group. A large portion of the
natural science students were following a pre-health path, intending to enter a graduate school in
medicine, dentistry, pharmacy, or one of the allied health professions. These pre-health students
also availed themselves of the services of the university’s pre-health advising office, a separate
university unit of four advisors who supported this population specifically. So, while many of the
advisors of pre-health students had a large student population, it is important to note that
students’ major advisor was not their only means of academic advising support. This was also
true of students who had declared a pre-professional emphasis in law. The university staffed an
additional group of advisors who worked with students interested in pursuing a career in law and
students in all majors had access to this additional support.
PERCEPTIONS OF ADVISORS 55
Students who had majors in the larger disciplines, where there might be more than one
advisor supporting their program, often had a choice of academic advisor. Departments
acknowledged that some students would connect better with one advisor or another in their unit,
and they worked to make the advising experience as easy and accessible as possible for the
student. With all these levels of student support in the unit, one might expect that students would
begin to access these supports on their own without parental involvement in the process.
It is important to note here that all advisors at the university were required to complete a
three-day advisor-training program (Advising 101). This program provided advisors with basic
skills and techniques of academic advising as well as an overview of university policies and
procedures. There were advisor guides distributed citing important websites and resource
personnel in various departments. However, the training did not include any information about
dealing with specific parent issues. This training program had been in effect at the university for
the fifteen years prior to this study, so all participants in this study attended these sessions.
Participants
Study participants were chosen from a cross section of academic advisors who advise
undergraduate students in WU’s liberal arts major fields of study. Questionnaires were
distributed to 28 advisors by email; 23 responses were returned. Demographic data from these
questionnaires were used to select eight advisors for in-person interviews. Participants were
separated into two groups, representing advisors’ years of experience in the field (less than five
years or five, or more, years) and then by student area of study. One advisor was randomly
chosen from each group. In-person interviews were conducted with eight advisors, four
neophytes and four veterans, representing the four areas of study, naturals sciences, social
sciences, humanities, and undecided.
PERCEPTIONS OF ADVISORS 56
These advisors represented a specific segment of the population at the university: those
whose students enrolled in a major field of study in the natural sciences, the social sciences, the
humanities, or those who were still undecided in their major. This group was chosen for study
because their students might not yet have chosen a career path, as have students in other
professional school programs; this may be a factor in increased parental involvement for the
select group of students. There might have been added pressure on these students by their parents
to select courses and choose involvement in areas their parents may consider more helpful for
their future endeavors. Parents in this group may also have felt that, since their children had not
identified career aspirations, they needed more help than their professional school student
counterparts, specifically more direction from their parents in their everyday college decisions
and routine university-related issues. Also, while the university promotes the importance of
family, we might have been sending a mixed message to parents about their appropriate type of
involvement and our expectations of their children while at college.
Questionnaire Participants
Questionnaires were designed to collect demographic information of the advisors in
WU’s liberal arts division as well as their accounts and perceptions of the involvement of parents
in the lives of their college-aged students and the effect, if any, on their practice of advising. Half
of the approximately 42 advisors who advise liberal arts students at the university were randomly
selected to receive questionnaires. Advisors responded to questions on the frequency of parental
contact, the method of contact, and student involvement in the stated issue. Questions were
designed to elicit advisor perceptions on the effect of parental involvement, positive, negative, or
null, on their advisor-student relationship. Questions about student involvement in the issues
parents brought to the advisor were meant to gauge how advisors viewed the actual advisor-
PERCEPTIONS OF ADVISORS 57
student interaction during an advising appointment when parents were present. This served as an
occasion for advisors to describe their process with students whose parents either initiated
contact with the advisor or had since become involved in the student’s issue. Advisors described
how they were able to engage the student by directing questions and answers to the student, not
the parent. This was an opportunity, as well, to have advisors view the developmental nature of
their practice in light of these interactions.
Twenty-eight questionnaires were sent to an evenly distributed, based on areas of student
study, collection of academic advisors in WU’s liberal arts unit, and 23 questionnaires were
completed and returned. Of the 23 advisors surveyed, 22 (95%) responded that they had had
interaction with parents of undergraduate students in the performance of their jobs. Data from
one questionnaire respondent was not used for this study, as the advisor indicated no parental
contact.
Items on the questionnaire required advisors to include their demographic information as
well as the number of years they had been practicing undergraduates academic advising (less or
more than five years) and the general fields of study of their mentees. In the original
questionnaire protocol, questions were asked to determine whether advisors had, indeed,
experienced parental involvement in their day-to-day jobs. Advisors were not asked whether they
saw this as over-involvement. Only two questions on the survey were designed as open-ended.
The first was to have the advisor describe the stated purpose of the parent contact. Advisors were
asked questions concerning student involvement in the issue in order to hear advisor perceptions
of the parent-student relationship as it directly affected their interaction with their student
mentees.
PERCEPTIONS OF ADVISORS 58
Undergraduate academic advisor in the following liberal arts area(s):
# Answer Response %
1
Natural/Physical
Sciences
8 36%
2 Humanities 6 27%
3 Social Sciences 5 23%
4 Undecided 6 27%

Figure 1. Advisors’ Academic Fields
Gender
# Answer Response %
1 Male 2 9%
2 Female 20 91%
Total 22 100%

Figure 2. Advisors’ Genders

Age
# Answer Response %
1 20-25 4 18%
2 25-30 6 27%
3 30-40 10 45%
4 40+ 2 9%
Total 22 100%

Figure 3. Advisors’ Ages

How long have you been an academic advisor for undergraduate students?
# Answer Response %
1
Less than 5
years
12 55%
2
5 years or
longer
10 45%
Total 22 100%

Figure 4. Advisors’ Experience

Have you had any interaction with parents of undergraduate students in the performance of
your job?
# Answer Response %
1 Yes 21 95%
2 No 1 5%
Total 22 100%

Figure 5. Advisors’ Interaction with Parents

PERCEPTIONS OF ADVISORS 59
If yes, how often?
# Answer Response %
1 Weekly 1 5%
2 Monthly 2 10%
3
1x per
semester
10 48%
4
More than 1x
per semester
8 38%
Total 21 100%

Figure 6. Advisors’ Frequency of Contact with Parents

Interview Participants
The study aimed to view the topic from a wide range of perspectives. Thus, of at least
one advisor from each disciplinary area of study was selected, along with at least one from each
of the two groups of advisors representing fewer than five years’ experience and five or more
years’ experience in the profession were chosen to observe the similarities and differences in
advisor perceptions.
As was previously described, questionnaires were used to collect the demographic
information required in order to select interview participants. Of the 22 questionnaires retained,
respondents were sorted according to general area of study of the student population advised
(natural sciences, social sciences, humanities, and undecided) and number of years of advising
experience, using information collected from at least one advisor in each of the four study areas
above and from each of the group of advisors in each of the categories of experience in the field.
Returned advisors questionnaire were divided into four groups representing advisors’ students’
area of study and the advisor’s years of experience. Demographic data from the questionnaire
respondents allowed the author to randomly choose one advisor from each of the four areas of
study and one each from the veteran and neophyte advisor groups for a total of eight interview
participants.
PERCEPTIONS OF ADVISORS 60
Eight advisors were chosen for an in-person interview. Four advisors had fewer than five
years’ experience in undergraduate academic advising, each representing a different student area
of study in the liberal arts (natural sciences, social sciences, humanities, and undecided) and four,
also from each of the areas listed above, who had five, or more, years in the field. The intent of
this particular selection of participants was to note whether there were differences in perceptions
of advisors based on student area of study or related to length of time the advisor had been
practicing academic advising with undergraduate students. Interviewees received definitions of
prescriptive and developmental advising (Appendix B) and were asked to describe their own
practice as it relates to one or both of these models. Each interviewee was asked to recount one
interaction s/he had with parents in dealing with a student’s issue. All eight interviewees chose
an in-person interaction they’d had with parents. The following is a description of each of the
interviewees and each account of the one parent interaction s/he chose to relate.
Table 1
Interviewees
Advisors with Fewer Than Five Years’ Professional Experience
Name Gender Age range Student field of Study
Lila Female 25-30 Natural Sciences
Nora Female 30-40 Social Sciences
Toni Female 25-30 Humanities
Ann Female 25-30 Undecided
Advisors with Five or More Years’ Professional Experience
Carol Female 30-40 Natural Sciences
Jane Female 30-40 Social Sciences
Mary Female 30-40 Humanities
Kathy Female 40+ Undecided

Themes Emerging from the Questionnaire
Twenty-two of the academic advisors responding to the survey indicated that they had
regular contact with parents of their mentees. Twelve of these advisors (53%) indicated that
PERCEPTIONS OF ADVISORS 61
parents contact them more than once per semester. One advisor indicated she had parental
contact weekly. The remaining nine advisors say they speak to parents once per semester, on
average. So, 68% of the advisors surveyed acknowledge that parents are a regular part of their
advising process. Of the 23 advisors who responded to the questionnaire, only one did not have
any contact with parents while performing her job. Twenty-two advisors (95%) responded that
their mentees’ parents contacted them. The data from questionnaires overwhelmingly supports
the literature that parents are involved in the lives of their college-aged students.
Another theme that became clear from the questionnaire responses was that advisors
distinguish two different types of issues of parents’ concern. When asked about the stated
purpose of the parent contact, advisors identified two general areas. The first type of interactions
dealt with parents requesting general information about university policies and procedures,
programs, course selection, path to graduation, dropping and adding classes, and the leave of
absence process. Also considered in this first type of interaction were parents expressing
dissatisfaction with advising or with the university. These questions were easily handled by
advisors without having to violate individual student privacy rights. They were able to speak to
parents in general terms. They also reported that they could direct parents to helpful university
websites for more information.
PERCEPTIONS OF ADVISORS 62
What was the stated purpose of the interaction?
Text Response
Parent wanted to know about the process for dropping a course.
I usually interact with parents at orientation answering general questions parents may have
regarding [WU] and their child's education.
The parental interaction I have during UNDE advising, for the most part, consists of issues
regarding their son/daughter's course scheduling, overall path towards graduation, and
sometimes the mental/physical well-being of their son/daughter that can impact their academic
progress. **Please note, these interactions include email, phone, and in-person
communication. However, I was only able to select one option.
Actually, I've had interaction by email, phone, and in-person. Mainly concerning their students
schedule and if it was "good", "right", just general concerns. Sometimes, rather anxious.
Leave of absence.
To ask specific questions about their student's records.
Getting a financial aid issue resolved/ check on the academic progress of a student.
concern for student, personal issues student is facing, questions about degree progress.
Interactions occurred via phone, email and in person.
Parents were concerned about student performance.
I've had both email and phone communication with parents. One parent asking about
summers study abroad options for the student, another making sure the student would be
graduating and another to let me know their daughter was having trouble and urged me to talk
to her.
Academic progress concern for their child.
General check in. In past experiences, grades.
Concerned about student.
Checking on son's progress and registered courses.
Concerns about student.
Most of the time, parents are communicating with me to advocate for their son or daughter as
it relates to a specific issue or problem. One example is a student who had injured their leg
skiing and needed to have surgery and was going to be out of school for a bit.
One parent emailed twice in two different semesters. One was about dissatisfaction of
student's transferred course not counting for major. The other time was to let all of her
professors and advisors know that student is undergoing treatment, won't be attending class for
1-2 weeks, and to request that they send the student assignments she has missed and will miss.
I interacted with a different parent once on the phone: she was inferring about study abroad
programs to China, trying to figure out if/how her son will be eligible/deadlines, and wanted
me to reach out to him to encourage him to declare the EALC minor without letting him know
she talked to me.
I usually interact with parents when they feel their child needs more support.
Courses for their student and a LOA.
Difficulty with their student’s enrollment.
It was regarding the completion of the student's major.

Figure 7. Stated Purpose for Interaction with Parents
PERCEPTIONS OF ADVISORS 63
The second type of interaction involved parents requesting information about specific
student issues/problems, grades, concerns about student performance, requesting program
information as it relates to their student, requesting more support for their student, and, in some
cases, asking advisors to contact their student to offer help. This type of involvement includes
the parent intervening on behalf of the student, with or without the student’s awareness or
permission. These cases were more troublesome and could require a degree of delicacy when
dealing with parents. Advisors may have had to clarify legal rules of privacy in regards to
student information.
Advisors expressed an interesting outcome when describing parental involvement with
their students. Questionnaire responses indicated in all 21 instances that the parental involvement
they experienced was seen as an additional piece of information about the student and, in all
cases, respondents felt that this prompted the advisor to make contact with the student. There
were three instances in which parents contacted advisors to notify them that their student was ill,
had been in an accident, or had a family emergency. In one case, the student was able to
communicate with the advisor by email. In the other two cases, parents provided documentation
to allow them to act on the students’ behalf. In these cases, parental involvement was considered
crucial to the student’s day-to-day life at the university.
Advisors responded to the second research question concerning the model of
developmental advising in light of the changing dynamics between parents and their college-
aged students. Has the phenomenon of the over-involved parent affected the practice of
advising? When interviewees were asked to describe their model of academic advising,
prescriptive or developmental, all eight respondents answered that they believed the
developmental model of academic advising was still relevant to their practice. Six of the eight
PERCEPTIONS OF ADVISORS 64
advisors interviewed chose the developmental model exclusively as the model for their practice.
Two of these eight advisors felt that, although they followed the developmental model, there was
still a degree of the prescriptive model in their practice. All academic advisors interviewed and
surveyed reported the developmental advising model currently used in their practice as still
viable.
Although students may not be progressing as Chickering and Reisser (1993) suggest, this
does not seem to affect the advisor-student relationship. In all cases where parents intervened, it
was the responsibility of the advisor to include, or attempt to include, the student in the issue, if
he or she was not already involved. This sentiment was unanimously articulated and seemed a
natural function of the developmental process. Six of the eight advisors interviewed noted that
when parents directed questions at the advisor during a student meeting, advisors would ask the
student to respond, including the student in the process immediately. This tactic was described
by one advisor as “move the process to advisor-student rather than advisor-parent.”
Advisors could still meet students at their own developmental stage and work with them
to reach a greater level of independence. The starting point may have been different, but the
process remained the same. As Grites (2013) describes, the concept of developmental advising is
an approach that allows advisors to accept students at their developmental stage and assist each
student in coordinating a rewarding college experience. He maintains that developmental
advising continues to be a comprehensive approach to academic advising.
In response to Research Question 2 concerning advisors’ style of advising, all advisors
interviewed and all questionnaire respondents agreed that the model of developmental advising
was still a viable model. They described the characteristics of developmental advising in the
same way as Grites (2013) discusses the process: the advisor grants more and more autonomy to
PERCEPTIONS OF ADVISORS 65
the student as the student becomes more able to resolve issues, problem solve, and generally
make sound decisions on his own.
Advisors who were interviewed described their advising style as developmental and
agreed that the model held up to scrutiny in the profession of advising. They argued that the
developmental stage at the time the student enters university may not be as relevant as the
student’s progress through the university years. They believed that students come to college with
different degrees of autonomy and that a good advisor will work with a student to move to a
greater degree than when s/he began.
Chickering and Reisser’s (1993) psychosocial model of development in which the
emotional, interpersonal, and ethical development of the person is part of the intellectual
development is a useful model when working with university undergraduates. The seven vectors
model provides us with the stages through which one must pass on the path to identity formation.
Of particular interest, in terms of the undergraduate student, and this study, are vectors three and
four, when students are moving through autonomy toward interdependence, developing mature
interpersonal relationships, and establishing identity. In terms of this model, as previously
discussed, Chickering and Reisser (1993) stated the university years were a critical time in the
development of the college student. They argued that significant parental involvement at this
stage of the student’s development may have a negative impact. They explicitly described how
students must separate in order to be able to successfully begin adult identity formation.
Necessary at this stage is the development of skills to think critically about problems and solve
them without the need for assistance. Students at this stage will interact with their peers and look
for ways to be involved with an ever-expanding circle of friends.
PERCEPTIONS OF ADVISORS 66
Through the lens of Chickering and Reisser (1993), students may not be progressing
through the third vector as we might expect. As was noted by a number of advisors who were
interviewed, as described below, students may progress because parents may not allow students
to handle issues that arise at university on their own, or it may be that these adult millennial
students are not willing to separate sufficiently from their parents at this stage of their lives.
Lila was a Muslim female between 25 and 30 years of age. She was enrolled in a doctoral
program in higher education. She advised students in the natural sciences. She reported
interaction with parents more than once per semester. She recounted an in-person parent
interaction in which the parent voiced concerns about his student’s performance. The student was
present, but not very vocal. The student had not communicated all the pertinent details of his
academics to his parents. Lila’s perception of parental involvement in this situation was that her
advising relationship with this student had not changed. The interaction did not result in either a
positive or negative effect. She saw the developmental advising model as still relevant to her
practice.
Ann was a female Latina between 25 and 30 years of age. She completed a master’s
degree in student personnel in higher education. She advised students in the social sciences. She
reported interaction with parents more than once per semester. She recounted an in-person parent
interaction in which the parent requested information about a leave of absence request for her
daughter. The student was present, but her involvement was minimal.
Ann’s perception of parents’ involvement of was that students lose their desire to take
initiative and responsibility when their parents are involved. Ann sees the developmental
advising model as still relevant to her practice.
PERCEPTIONS OF ADVISORS 67
Toni was a female of Italian descent between 25 and 30 years of age. She held a master’s
degree in counseling. She advised students in the humanities. She reported an interaction with
parents only once per semester. She recounted an in-person meeting in which the parent
requested information about the student’s grades. The student was not involved. Toni stated she
“brought student into the mix,” and her perception was that this parental involvement had not
had an effect, positive or negative, on her relationship with the student. Toni saw the
developmental advising model as still relevant to her practice.
Nora was an African American female between 30 and 40 years of age. She held an
undergraduate degree in social sciences with an emphasis in psychology. She had been admitted
to a master’s program in higher education administration for the coming semester. She advised
undecided students: those who had not yet declared a major. She reported interaction with
parents more than once per semester. She recounted an in-person parent interaction in which the
parent was checking on his daughter’s progress. The student did not accompany the parent at this
meeting, but she did come in to see the advisor two days later. Nora’s perception was that a high
level of parental involvement causes a strain on the student-advisor relationship. This creates a
middleman which can be awkward for the advisor. In this particular instance, Nora perceived the
effect of parental involvement as negative. She sees the involvement as detrimental to the
student’s growth. Nora saw the developmental advising model as still relevant to her practice.
The four advisors with five years, or more, of experience in undergraduate academic
advising were chosen for interview based on their students’ area of study. One advisor from each
of the study areas of natural sciences, social science, humanities, and undecided students was
randomly selected. The following is a description of each of the interviewees.
PERCEPTIONS OF ADVISORS 68
Carol was a Latina female between 30 and 40 years of age. She held a master’s degree in
marriage and family therapy. Carol advised students in the natural sciences. She reported
interaction with parents more than once per semester and recounted an in-person meeting where
the parent felt that the student needed more support, was experiencing academic difficulties. The
student was present at the meeting but did not share much. Carol’s perception was that students
are less forthcoming with information when parents are present for the meeting. This particular
parental involvement was viewed as positive. Carol felt supportive parents help the student. She
saw the developmental advising model as still relevant to her practice.
Jane was a female of Vietnamese descent between 30 and 40 years of age. Her academic
background was a master’s in student personnel. She advised students in the social sciences. She
reported interaction with parents monthly by phone. In this particular case, the parent voiced
concerns about her son’s mental health issues. The student was not involved. Jane contacted the
student after the parent reached out. The student was receptive and met with her after this
contact. Perceptions of parental involvement were positive in this case. Jane felt that the parent
stepped in when the student needed help with mental health issues. She saw the developmental
advising model as still relevant to her practice.
Mary was a Caucasian female between 30 and 40 years of age. She held a master’s
degree in psychology. Mary advised students in the humanities. She reported interaction with
parents more than once per semester and one particular interaction by phone. This parent was
advocating for her son to be allowed to register in closed classes which were not appropriate for
the student’s graduation requirements. The student subsequently followed up with Mary. In this
situation, Mary viewed the interaction as negative. Her perceptions were that the parent caused
the student unnecessary stress. Mary viewed the developmental and prescriptive models of
PERCEPTIONS OF ADVISORS 69
advising both still useful. She saw the developmental advising model as still relevant to her
practice.
Kathy was an African American female between 30 and 40 years of age. She held a
master’s degree in student personnel. She advised students who were undecided in choosing a
major course of study. She reported interaction with parents more than once per semester. The
interaction she chose to recount was in person with the parent and student. This parent was
concerned about her student’s course selection. The student was present but, seemingly, not
involved. Kathy’s perceptions about this interaction were that the parent was over-anxious and
felt she needed to oversee the student’s course selection. Kathy felt that the mother unnecessarily
caused stressed to the student. She saw the developmental advising model as still relevant to her
practice.
As previously described, when asked the open-ended question about the stated purpose of
their parent interactions, advisors noted two different types of issues. But, all advisors who
returned the questionnaire commented that, in their experience, parents always follow up a
question about policy with a specific question about their own child.
Themes Emerging From Interviews
Academic advisors are considered to act as agents of the institution, responsible for
mentoring undergraduates as they progress to adulthood. Following the theories of student
development, specifically those of Chickering and Reisser (1993), they have come to expect a
certain level of autonomy from college-aged students. Interviews with advisors about their
perceptions of parental involvement indicated that parents acted on behalf of their students in
areas advisors expect students to resolve themselves. Questionnaire responses about parent
involvement support interview data about parents’ over-involvement with 95% of advisors
PERCEPTIONS OF ADVISORS 70
indicating that they had had contact from their students’ parents. Only four of these advisors
indicated that the student was initially involved in the interaction.
All advisors who were interviewed held advanced degrees in a student affairs,
counseling, or psychology. Notwithstanding their education, their formal university advisor
training (Advising 101) did not include a component dealing with advisors’ interaction with
parents, other than information about federal laws governing issues of privacy.
Advisors who were interviewed had the following perceptions of the issue of parental
involvement. Nora stated, “When the student and parent met with me together, the student was
not very vocal, certainly not the way it has been in previous meetings with just the student and
me.” Mary said, “Students don’t usually share much information when their parent is present.” In
general, the view was that, when parents are physically present at meetings with student and
advisor, the student involvement is minimal. These perceptions were articulated by five of eight
interviewees.
However, interviews also revealed that parent-initiated contact often began a process
whereby the advisor brought the student into the conversation. And, even though parents reach
out to advisors, students, ultimately, become involved because advisors include them in the
process. So, in some situations, as in the case of Jane, parental involvement does provide the
advisor with additional information to help the advisor work with their student.

PERCEPTIONS OF ADVISORS 71
Table 2
Interviewee’s Perceptions of Parental Involvement

Name Overall Perceptions
Lila minimal student involvement when parent is present; her advising
relationship had not changed
Nora minimal student involvement when parent is present; noted a
negative effect
Toni parental involvement had no effect
Ann students lose their desire to take initiative and responsibility when
their parents are involved
Carol noted a positive effect after parent contact
Jane parent-initiated contact often began a process whereby the advisor
brought the student into the conversation
Mary minimal student involvement when parent is present
Kathy parent was over-anxious and unnecessarily stressed the student

Jane described a situation when a parent contacted her about concerns she had about her
daughter’s mental state. This mother lived in a different state and could not travel to check up on
her daughter. The student had been difficult to reach by phone and the parent suggested that,
even when she was able to connect, her daughter seemed distant. The parent shared with Jane
that her daughter had suffered from depression before and might need some extra attention now.
Jane reached out to the student, and the student was receptive. They set a meeting where Jane
was able to talk to the student and, hopefully, begin a mentoring relationship. She, ultimately,
referred the student to the university counseling service to talk about how she was coping, but
Jane continued to follow-up with the student regularly. In this particular case, there was a
process that began when the parent contacted the advisor, which was, ultimately, beneficial to
the student.
Interviewees who were asked about the usually stated purpose of the parent-advisor
interactions had two different types of responses in determining their course of action, depending
PERCEPTIONS OF ADVISORS 72
on the type of question the parent posed. If parents were in need of information concerning
university policies and procedures, graduation requirements in general, or other information
readily available to them, advisors could suggest website resources or other university
information sources. If, on the other hand, parents were intervening in areas specific to their own
students, advisors would need to pursue a different course of action. These distinctions were
supported in advisor responses to questionnaires, as well.
Of the eight advisors interviewed, it is interesting to note that, for six, parental
involvement was perceived as either a positive factor or as one having no effect on their student
relationships. Of the four advisors with fewer than five years’ experience, two had negative
views of parental interaction while the other two saw no difference. None of the four veteran
advisors interviewed reported negative outcomes as a result of parent involvement. In fact, two
saw positive outcomes in cases where parents became involved.
All four advisors with five or more years’ experience in advising perceived the parental
interaction as positive. The following section presents their responses pertaining to their
perceptions based on the disciplines in the liberal arts that they advise.
Of the two advisors from the natural sciences, Carol, the veteran advisor, noted a positive
effect after the parent contacted her. She described the situation where a pre-health student had
had a significant drop in his academic performance, and his parents were concerned. Carol
believed that, in this particular case, it helped the student to know that his parents were
supportive. Carol felt that this student lacked the maturity to talk to his parents about his
situation. She noted that the student was less forthcoming with information when the parents
were included in the advising meeting, but, in a subsequent meeting with only the student
present, she felt the student was open to her support. Jane’s counterpart in the natural sciences,
PERCEPTIONS OF ADVISORS 73
Lila, the neophyte, noted no change, positive or negative, in her relationship with her student
after the parent contacted her.
Although Lila was a neophyte advisor, she was older than many of her veteran
colleagues. This might have presented as a confidence during her advising sessions, both to
students and parents. She seemed to be attuned to the nuances of the parent-student relationship
and she took charge of the advising session in a gentle manner. She tried to include the student as
much as possible in the meeting but stated, of this particular situation, that “when the parent was
present, the student communicated as little as possible, no matter how much I tried to engage
him.” Lila scheduled another meeting with the student. She acknowledged, in this case, that it
was useful to watch the interaction between the parent and student during their meeting to her
understanding of the student. She also said she sometimes had to “work around the parent.”
In the social sciences, Nora, the neophyte advisor noted a negative effect. She felt that her
student had no interest in his academic performance and no responsibility as a university student.
In this case, the student willingly gave his mother all control in student-advisor meetings. The
advisor eventually referred the student to the student counseling center, acknowledging that the
student had more serious, pressing personal issues to deal with. She continued to work with this
student as well, but she did not include the parent in any further meetings. Nora saw the parent’s
involvement in the advising process as negative. She stated,
My student consistently blames others people or situations for his poor academic
performance. He missed a deadline to drop a class, and his mother came to campus to
resolve the situation. While I understand her concern, she has taken on responsibilities
that should belong to the student.
PERCEPTIONS OF ADVISORS 74
The situation that Jane, her counterpart in social science advising, chose to recount was
an apparent intervention that did have a prescribed path to resolution. Her student had been
involved in a car accident and would not be returning to complete the semester. Jane walked the
parent through the leave of absence process and connected her with the appropriate university
officials.
The humanities and undecided advisors who had fewer than five years’ experience noted
a positive effect. They believed that the parent contact with the advisor informed the advisor that
there was an issue with the student and prompted the advisor to bring the student into the
conversation. The two experienced advisors claimed to see no change, positive or negative, in
their approach to dealing with the student issue at hand. The veteran advisors in these two groups
were similar in their responses and their perceptions of parental involvement. There seemed to be
no noticeable differences in advisors’ perceptions of parental involvement based on their
students’ area of study. However, it is interesting to note that parental involvement was
perceived as a negative factor by two of four neophyte advisors. Perhaps this was because they
had no experience dealing with parents at this level and were at a loss for how to include, or
exclude, them. None of the four veteran advisors interviewed reported negative outcomes as a
result of parent involvement. In fact, two of the four saw positive outcomes in cases where
parents became involved.
Six advisors interviewed stated that, when parents were present at the student meeting,
students were not very vocal. As discussed in previous chapters, the advisor-student relationship
is crucial to the undergraduate student experience. The expectation of academic advisors is that
the college-aged student will be responsible for navigating the undergraduate experience with
guidance from the agents of the university, advisors, faculty, and other administrators. However,
PERCEPTIONS OF ADVISORS 75
as noted here, parents of millennials are much more involved in their children’s college
experience.
Interview responses indicated that advisors felt that students do not seem as engaged or
responsible when their parent was present. Nonetheless, despite expressing this sentiment, the
majority of advisors who were interviewed found there was no effect, positive or negative, on
their relationships with their student mentees as a result of parental involvement. They had
relationships with their students that were separate from, and without, involvement from the
parent.
All eight interviewees who responded to the question of their perceptions of the student-
advisor relationship, in light of parental involvement, agreed that, when the parent was present
for the student meeting, the student was not very vocal and did not seem to take responsibility
for, or control of, the meeting. Interviews and questionnaires support the notion that students do
not take responsibility and, often, are not even aware of their parents’ contacting their advisor. Is
this another indication that students entering college are not prepared, or so their parents believe,
to deal with their everyday issues in university? Is the developmental level of these students at an
earlier stage than advisors have come to expect, based on the developmental model of
Chickering and Reisser (1993)? Interviews support the idea that, when parents are involved,
students do not take responsibility for their own educational issues.
Open-ended questionnaire responses about the student involvement, at the outset,
revealed that, in just more than half the cases, the student was actually unaware that the parent
had made contact with the advisor, and there was no initial student inclusion by the parent.
Another common theme that came out of advisor interviews was the positive side of
parental involvement. A positive outcome of these parental interventions was that advisors
PERCEPTIONS OF ADVISORS 76
contacted the student after the parent became involved. In all cases, after the parent intervened,
the advisor reached out to the student.
Summary
Parents today are more involved in the lives of their college-aged children than were
parents of previous generations. In the view of some university administrators and student
services professionals, this over-involvement may interfere with the relationship between
students and the academic advisors who mentor them through their university years.
The purpose of this study was to examine the perceptions of undergraduate academic
advisors of the changing dynamics of the over-involved parent, the student, and the academic
advisor vis-à-vis the advisor-student relationship and the developmental advising model used in
today’s practice of advising. This study was an attempt to view the phenomenon of the over-
involved parent from the perspective of academic advisors who mentor their college-aged
children. In all the advisor interviews, stories recounted do not seem too problematic. All stories
recounted seemed to have a neat beginning and end, and all seem to have a problem and a
prescribed resolution. This may not reflect a realistic picture. Advisors’ perceptions were based
on specific instances, but they did not reflect extreme cases. This may be because particularly
difficult student and/or parent cases were referred to higher administrative personnel.
Despite media portrayals of today’s parents as helicopter parents, not all parents qualify
under the definition of highly involved and intrusive. They fit a broad profile. Some may be
inappropriately involved, some may be helpfully involved, as needed, and some might be defined
as distant or negligent. The results of this study indicate that there is not a consistent advisor
view of the phenomenon of the over-involved parent. There are certainly questions about what
constitutes over-involvement and what type of parental involvement was viewed as positive by
PERCEPTIONS OF ADVISORS 77
academic advisors. The following chapter describes implications of the study and
recommendations for academic advising practice.

PERCEPTIONS OF ADVISORS 78
CHAPTER FIVE: DISCUSSION
In these times of increased parental involvement in the day-to-day college lives of their
adult millennial students, it is important to give a voice to academic advisors who mentor these
undergraduates. This study provides an overview of perceptions of academic advisors in a liberal
arts unit of a major research university to the phenomenon of the over-involved parent. The study
asked advisors about their perceptions of their advisor-student relationships and their practice of
developmental advising. What are academic advisors’ perceptions of the phenomenon of the
over-involved parent in relation to the advisor-student relationship in light of the changing
dynamics between parents and their college-aged students? Do advisors consider the practice of
developmental advising as a continued viable model?
Background
The focus of this study were the changing dynamics of the adult millennial student and
parents of these undergraduate children in relation to the advisor-student relationship. The
increased involvement of parents in the day-to-day lives of their college-aged students has an
impact on student services areas, particularly that of academic advisors. Parents intervene in
issues previously left for academic advisors to navigate with their student mentees. This study
aimed to give a voice in the discussion to academic advisors who are responsible for mentoring
undergraduates on their path to autonomy.
The practice of developmental advising, widely accepted by the advising community and
recognized by NACADA as a best practice, is based on the notion of a continued level of
development of the college-aged student. Developmental advising, grounded in Chickering and
Reisser’s (1993) seven vectors model of student development assumes a certain degree of
autonomy demonstrated by a college-aged student. Chickering and Reisser found that parents’
PERCEPTIONS OF ADVISORS 79
over-involvement at this stage of the student’s development may be an inhibiting factor. While
advisors aim to help students achieve this autonomy, parents may intervene in the process.
This chapter outlines the implications of the results presented in Chapter Four in the areas
of student development, parental involvement, and the perceptions of advisors to the advisor-
student relationship in light of increased involvement by parents. Advisors were asked to assess
their practice of developmental advising in terms of the viability of a continued usage of this
model. This chapter includes recommendations for advising practice and final thoughts.
Stakeholders
Stakeholders in the study were college academic advisors who mentor undergraduate
students. Advisors’ academic advising experiences and perceptions of over-involved parents are
critical to understanding the phenomenon of the over-involved parent and to the practice of
developmental advising. Advisors must be cognizant of the changing dynamics between parents
and their college-aged children and use this knowledge to improve, or enhance, their practice.
Considering this increased parental involvement, students may be entering college with a
lower level of independence than experienced advisors expect based on student development
theory, specifically that of Chickering and Reisser (1993). There is an expectation that college
level students will have achieved a certain degree of autonomy from their parents and that the
college experience is a crucial time in this development. But, in today’s college landscape,
parents are more involved in their college children’s’ day-to-day experiences. These students
arrive at college at a different level of development that advisors have come to expect.
Advisors have a responsibility to help students and, in some cases parents, respond
appropriately with their day-to-day lives at university. Other stakeholders may be educators and
student affairs professionals who train other professionals from a number of student resource
PERCEPTIONS OF ADVISORS 80
areas. These can be formal educational settings, such as masters’ programs or in-house training
sessions for student affairs professional.

Implications for Practice
The following section deals with recommendations and conclusions based on in-person
interviews with academic advisors and supported by advisor questionnaires. In-person interviews
with advisors and advisor questionnaire responses describe involvement with parents.
Recommendations for practice include strategies for working with parents in understanding the
university, expectations of their children while at university, and in training advisors to work
with parents to help guide their students towards autonomy.
What has emerged from the study is that parents are involved in their children’s
undergraduate experience. Parents who are likely financing part, or all, of their child’s education,
my feel that they have a right to be involved. Federal law further complicates the relationship
between the parent and the institution. Academic advisors are bound by law to protect the
privacy rights of their students. The Buckley Amendment, later the Family Educational Rights
and Privacy Act (FERPA) ensured the student has the right to his, or her, privacy in sharing
academic information. When parents contact advisors about general information advisors try to
accommodate but advisors must make parents aware that they may not share specific information
about their students. They can speak, in general terms, about university policies, procedures, and
programs but not about the specifics of their own child’s record. This is sometimes a difficult
conversation for advisors who must make parents aware that there are, indeed, laws that protect
the privacy of their children. Advisors have all indicated that when a parent contacts them, they
will always contact and involve the student in the issue process. So, while the discussion with
PERCEPTIONS OF ADVISORS 81
the parent might be an uncomfortable one for the advisor, ultimately the student becomes
involved.
It is important to note that students may give their parents online access to their academic
information on then university system. With permission, parents may access final grade data
using this system but they cannot access midterm, or interim grades. Nor can they access
information shared internally by academic advisors on a separate university advisor database.
Since it is clear that the phenomenon of the over-involved parent is a reality in the
college landscape, how can the institution, and student affairs professionals mediate while still
fulfilling their mission of guiding undergraduate students on their path to autonomy? How can
student affairs professionals find a balance between encouraging student development while still
being sensitive to parent concerns? “Student affairs professionals must find a balance between
fostering a relationship with parents by responding to their concerns and fostering the
development of students so they might learn to resolve their concerns on their own” (Merriman,
2006, p. 117). This is the reality of the student affairs profession at the university level.
Students and Parents
Parents are very much a part of their college-aged children’s lives. Adult
millennials look to their parents for support in many aspects of their daily lives (Arnett, 2000,
2001; Bonfiglio, 2009; Cosby, 2014; Howe & Strauss, 2000, 2003; Lythcott-Haims, 2015;
White, 2005). Advisors, and other student affairs professionals, can use this knowledge in their
practice of mentoring these students. In an effort to help students find more autonomy from their
parents, the institution may take steps that seem counterintuitive in nature by including parents in
their students’ initial experiences. Administrators and student affairs professionals might bring
PERCEPTIONS OF ADVISORS 82
together parents and students to discuss the institutional expectations of the student, as well as
the role of the advisor.
Advisors can help parents on a one-to-one basis by asking parents to encourage their
students to work with advisors to resolve issues and to help students discover and access
university resources. It is important that parents understand the role of student affairs
professionals in the development of their children. Advisors have expertise in directing students
to research, community service, organizations, and special programs at the university that will
assist them in discovering new areas of interest and expanding their experiences. This is a role
that parents are not normally able to fill.
The institution can plan workshops to give parents access and explanations on general
information, such as policies, procedures, and can make information readily available through
websites, webinars, and other platforms that parents are able to access. Additional workshops
with parents can be held during new student orientations, family weekend, or similar types of
events when many parents of freshmen are on campus. These workshops may include formal
sessions about policies, about expectations, about issues of confidentiality and student privacy,
or they may just be open discussions where parents are free to choose the topics for discussion.
The institution does survey parents to hear their questions and concerns and ask about the best
method of delivery of this information for them. We can use this information to reach a wider
base of parents.
Recommendation for the Institution to help Advisors Deal With Parents
Based on the information gathered from in-person interviews, it seems that veteran
advisors are more equipped than their neophyte counterparts to deal with their mentees’ parents.
This may simply be function of experience but might be addressed by the university
PERCEPTIONS OF ADVISORS 83
implementing training modules for new advisors on dealing with parents. This can be a case
study type of module, bringing veteran advisors and other student service staff together to assist
new advisors. Veteran advisors expressed a need for ongoing conversations with all advisors,
surrounding the issue of parents, as well as other advisor issues. The university may consider
implementing a training module for experienced advisors where they can join other veteran
advisors to continue the conversation.
Another recommendation is the planning of programs to include advisors and parents,
with or without students, in an informal group setting. This would give parents and advisors a
forum to address issues involving university policies, procedures, graduation requirements, and
would allow advisors to have the conversation with parents about the university’s expectations of
their student and the importance of the advising experience in the development of the student.
Recommendations for Advisors
Advisors were unanimous in their responses to student participation in the issues parents
may bring to them. In all cases advisors agreed that they must always include the student in the
process. The only exception to this was articulated as “unless absolutely impossible, as in cases
where the student is not capable of making decisions (e.g. accident, illness).”
Advisors also agreed that, when parents are present at advising sessions, advisors should
redirect parent questions to the student. This may make parents more aware that their student
must be the focus of the session. This will also serve to demonstrate the same message to the
student: we, as advisors, are there to assist the student first.
Student Development and Developmental Advising
Despite the articulated changing dynamics in parent-student relationships and the
perception of advisors of the phenomenon of the over-involved parent, it is possible that students
PERCEPTIONS OF ADVISORS 84
may be entering college at a developmental level with less autonomy from their parents than
academic advisors expect. Academic advisors who were interviewed shared the belief that the
developmental advising model is still viable and will remain useful no matter where on the
spectrum their students begin. Questionnaire responses support the advisors interviews in that
that developmental advising model continues to work when dealing with students at any stage of
development. This seems intuitive but was clearly articulated by advisors. As the developmental
model indicates, growth is a process. One veteran advisor noted that the mission of student
affairs professionals includes mentoring students on their path to autonomy. Perhaps students
whose parents are over-involved are the very students who need to be mentored by a good
advisor, one who can help them take responsibility for their own path in their own time frame.
All the recommendations previously noted support the continued practice of
developmental advising. While advisors in the study acknowledge, overwhelmingly, that
parental contact with advisors has increased, they do not see this involvement, or possible over-
involvement, as a hindrance to their advising practice. As one advisor explained, “If students are
entering college with less autonomy than we were expecting, it is our responsibility to help these
students move along the path.”

Limitations of the Study
As was noted in Chapter One, there were a number of limitations to this study. Aside
from the initial expected limitations due to the specificity of the population studied, other
limitations became apparent. It was also apparent that the questionnaire was limited in scope and
might have collected more descriptive data.
PERCEPTIONS OF ADVISORS 85
As noted in previous chapters, the selection of advisors interviewed and surveyed came
from a subsection of advisors who serve liberal arts students. This unit is part of a larger setting,
that of a research university. All advisors in the study reported either directly or indirectly to me.
This may have influenced the nature of the interaction advisors chose to recount to me. It seemed
as if each parent interaction prompted an advisor reaction that included a prescribed set of
advisor responses. This set of responses from all advisors seemed too neat. It is possible that we
are not seeing the most dramatic of cases of parental involvement in these advisors’ stories. It
may be that higher-level administrators handle the serious parent issues. It may also be that since
advisors have a relationship with me, they chose to recount an instance they were able to resolve
easily.
Additional unexpected limitations arose. Advisors who were interviewed were not asked
to evaluate, even informally, the level of independence of their student mentees, according to
Chickering and Reisser’s (1993) developmental model. There was no measure of students’
developmental stage for advisors to gauge their own students. Measures of student development
were purely anecdotal.
In light of these factors, the results are not generalizable. Despite these limitations, the
information collected in this study and the recommendations for practice may be of value to
practitioners in student affairs.
Recommendations for Further Research
There is a lack of empirical data on the effect of parental involvement on their college-
aged children (Carney-Hall, 2008; Cutright, 2008; Hoover, 2007, 2008; Lum, 2006; Wills, 2005;
Wolf et al., 2009). Student affairs practitioners could benefit from more research in this area.
PERCEPTIONS OF ADVISORS 86
Additionally, new studies can revisit the theories we currently use to inform our notions
of the developmental trajectories of college-aged students, in light of the changing dynamics.
Perhaps the developmental theories we currently use as a basis for practice need to be reviewed
and revised.
There is also a need for more research to be conducted on the practice of academic
advising in the current climate of the over-involved parent. Advisors need to understand the
parent-child dynamics in relation to the development of the university student and use this
information to augment their practice. There is much to be gained from a deeper understanding
of the phenomenon of the over-involved parent in the lives of their university students and the
effects, if any, on the relationship between undergraduates and their advisors.

Conclusions and Final Thoughts
Academic advisors who work with university undergraduates must have an awareness of
the dynamic of parental involvement in the lives of college-aged students. Advisors need to work
to understand the parent role in the adult millennial student’s development and act in a positive
way to help students and their parents navigate and understand university systems and policies.
The institution must have the conversation with parents and students about university
processes and of the importance of college-aged students learning to develop autonomously.
It is important, too, that advisors understand the reluctance of some parents to let go and
recognize that they can have a role in helping students and parents navigate the process.
As a practicing professional in the field of academic advising I learned that we must
educate not only our students and their parents but also the professionals and educators who
work in the field of student affairs.
PERCEPTIONS OF ADVISORS 87
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PERCEPTIONS OF ADVISORS 95
Appendix A
Academic Advisor Questionnaire
Section 1 – Demographic Information

1) Undergraduate Academic Advisor in the following Liberal arts area(s):
Natural/Physical Sciences ___ Humanities ___ Social Sciences ___ Undecided___
2) Male__ Female__
3) Age-- 20-25__ 25-30__ 30-40__ 40+__
4) How long have you been an academic advisor for undergraduate students?
Less than 5 years ___ 5 Years or longer ___

Section 2 – Interaction With Parents

5) Have you had any interaction with parents of undergraduate students in the
performance
of your job? Yes __ No __
6) If yes, how often? Weekly __Monthly__1X/semester__ More than 1X/semester?__
7) What was the type of interaction? Email ___Phone___In person___
8) What was the stated purpose of the interaction?
9) What was the student involvement in the issue?

PERCEPTIONS OF ADVISORS 96
Appendix B
Interview Questions
Using the following descriptions of the advising process, please evaluate your own style.
Prescriptive Advising
• Advisor prescribes course of action for the student.
• Advisor provides all information to the student.
• Advisor dominates interview session.
• Advisor tells student what s/he needs to know about policies programs and takes
responsibility.
Developmental Advising
• Advisor helps student learn about courses and programs for self.
• Advisor and student reach agreement about nature of advising relationship.
• Advisor assists student in identifying alternatives and weighing consequences when
facing difficult decisions.
• Advisor and student share responsibility.
--B.B. Crookston (1971) A developmental view of academic advising as teaching.
Journal of College Student Personnel

Would you describe your advising style as Prescriptive or Developmental?
Parental Involvement
Can you narrate one parent interaction you have had this semester?
• How would you describe, or quantify the level of parental involvement?
• What are your perceptions of student-advisor relationships in light parental
involvement?
• Has this parental involvement had an effect, positive or negative, on your advising
practice? If yes, how?
In your view, is the developmental advising model , identified by NACADA as a best practice,
still a viable model for academic advisors?
PERCEPTIONS OF ADVISORS 97
Appendix C
Invitation to Participate

Dear Advisor,

My name is Debra Bernstein, and I am a doctoral candidate in the Rossier School of Education at
University of Southern California. I am conducting a research study as part of my dissertation,
which examines the perceptions of academic advisors of the involvement of parents in the lives
of their college-aged children and if/how this involvement has affected advising practice.

If you agree to take part in this study you will be asked to complete an online questionnaire,
anticipated to take no longer than twenty minutes.
Depending on your responses to the survey and your availability, you may be asked to be
interviewed in-person. This interview is voluntary and anticipated to last approximately 30
minutes.

Participation in this study is completely voluntary. Your identity as a participant will remain
confidential at all times during and after the study.
Your relationship with your employer will not be affected whether you participate, or not, in this
study.

If you would like to participate, please complete the Qualtrics questionnaire at the following link.

If you have questions please contact me.

Thank you,

Debra Bernstein
Doctoral Candidate – Rossier School of Education
University of Southern California

February 5, 2015

Abstract (if available)

Abstract With the admission to college of the “Adult Millennial Generation” dynamics between students, parents, and the institution (in this instance Academic Advisors) has changed. The focus of this study is the perception of academic advisors of how, if at all, this change in dynamics has affected their practice. This research study aims to examine the perceptions of college academic advisors of the phenomenon of the over involved parent and its effect, if any, on the advisor-student relationship and ultimately on their practice of developmental advising.

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Creator Bernstein, Debra G. (author)

Core Title Perceptions of academic advisors of the impact of over involved parents on the advisor-student relationship at a liberal arts unit of a 4-year research university

School Rossier School of Education

Degree Doctor of Education

Degree Program Education (Leadership)

Publication Date 02/10/2017

Defense Date 01/25/2017

Publisher University of Southern California (original), University of Southern California. Libraries (digital)

Tag OAI-PMH Harvest,parental involvement,perceptions of advisors,role of academic advisor in higher education

Language English

Contributor Electronically uploaded by the author (provenance)

Advisor Tobey, Patricia (committee chair), Crispen, Patrick (committee member), Merriman, Lynette (committee member)

Creator Email dbernste@usc.edu,debrabernstein01@gmail.com

Permanent Link (DOI) https://doi.org/10.25549/usctheses-c40-331881

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