The factors which influence the transfer advising process of advisers in the Alabama transfer advising corps: a grounded theory study

Abstract

ABSTRACT This grounded theory study examined the factors which influenced the transfer advising process as it unfolded within the context of ten community colleges which were located in rural counties in the state of Alabama. The participants in this study included nine recent graduates from The University of Alabama who were involved in the Alabama College Transfer Corps' program to assist students from rural community colleges in transferring to four year colleges or universities. This program utilized a philosophy of transfer advising known as near peer advising. The near peer approach advocated that an advisor who is close in age and experience to the students they advise has advantages which more traditional advisors do not share. The development of this grounded theory came from the vantage point of these nine participants and included 27 in-depth interviews, observations, and document analysis. The chronological parameters of this study extended from the fall of 2009 until the spring of 2011. Five categories of factors emerged which exerted an influence upon the transfer advising process as it unfolded in the experience of the nine near peer advisors who were assisting students in ten rural community colleges in the state of Alabama. The four main categories were institutional factors, cultural factors, contextual factors, and adviser factors. The core category was student factors. The process by which the main categories influenced the core category was random and dynamic. The main category of adviser factors functioned as a synthesizer through which much of the influence was filtered before being deposited in the core category, the student factors. This grounded theory was the first theory devoted to the transfer advising process. As such, this research endeavor provided a vehicle through which practitioners in the field of transfer advising can better understand the factors which exert an influence upon the transfer advising process. In addition, this theory provides a contextual framework by which further academic research can be conducted in the field of transfer advising.