ERIC Number: EJ993585
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2012
Pages: 9
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0271-9517
EISSN: N/A
What Are They Thinking? Students' Affective Reasoning and Attitudes about Course Withdrawal
Wheland, Ethel R.; Butler, Kevin A.; Qammar, Helen; Katz, Karyn Bobkoff; Harris, Rose
NACADA Journal, v32 n2 p17-25 Fall 2012
In this mixed-methods study we identify situations that impact students' decisions to withdraw from a course and examine their affective reasoning and attitudes toward course withdrawal. Exploring students' decision-making processes through the lens of self-authorship, we show that students frequently seek information from people with whom they have a personal rather than academic relationship, make decisions with little awareness of academic consequences, and often experience a feeling of dissonance when withdrawing from courses, even describing themselves as "quitters." Our results lead to recommendations that can assist academic advisors in developing meaningful interventions that advance students' decision-making abilities and intellectual development. (Contains 2 tables.)
Descriptors: Academic Advising, Withdrawal (Education), Decision Making, Intellectual Development, Mixed Methods Research, Intervention, Academic Achievement, College Students, Higher Education, Surveys, Interviews, Student Attitudes
National Academic Advising Association. NACADA Executive Office, Kansas State University, 2323 Anderson Avenue Suite 225, Manhattan, KS 66502-2912. Tel: 785-532-5717; Fax: 785-532-7732; e-mail: nacada@ksu.edu; Web site: http://www.nacada.ksu.edu
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Ohio
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A