Understanding Graduation Rates by Sex by Evaluating the Quality of Student Interactions with Faculty and Academic Advisors

Author

Michael John Bolen, University of South Florida

Graduation Year

2023

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree

Ph.D.

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)

Degree Granting Department

Educational Leadership and Policy Studies

Major Professor

Thomas E. Miller, Ed.D.

Committee Member

Amber D. Dumford, Ph.D.

Committee Member

Allison Crume, Ph.D.

Committee Member

Elizabeth Hordge-Freeman, Ph.D.

Keywords

Academic Advising, Academic Integration, Gender, STEM, Student Persistence, Student-Faculty Interaction

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to assess whether student satisfaction with faculty and academic advisors varied based on the sex of the student and the students’ academic college at a large public university in the Southeast. With the university aiming to improve its graduation rates, particularly male graduation rates, the Theory of Student Departure was used as a guide in identifying student interactions with faculty and academic advisors as potential factors impacting student persistence to graduation. Previous research suggests that the quality of the interactions that students have with faculty and academic advisors can vary based on the sex of the student, leading to differences in students’ desires to persist to degree completion and, thus, contribute to differences in graduation rates for men and women. Moreover, research has demonstrated that student persistence to graduation can be lower in certain types of degree programs, namely STEM programs. Therefore, analyses were conducted by the sex and academic college of the students to identify where at the university students experience challenges in interacting with faculty and academic advisors. Results revealed that while female students did not differ from male students in terms of their satisfaction, all students in the male dominated College of Engineering expressed lower levels of satisfaction with their interactions with faculty and academic advisors. The findings from the present study suggest that part of the reason for the graduation rate gap between women and men may be due to the academic colleges that students gravitate to and the experiences they have with faculty and academic advisors within those colleges. Potential reasons for the lower levels of satisfaction and suggestions for institutional practice and future research are discussed.

Scholar Commons Citation

Bolen, Michael John, "Understanding Graduation Rates by Sex by Evaluating the Quality of Student Interactions with Faculty and Academic Advisors" (2023). USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations.
https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/etd/10025