Graduation Year

2025

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree

Ed.D.

Degree Name

Doctor of Education (Ed.D.)

Degree Granting Department

Language, Literacy, ED.D., Exceptional Education, and Physical Education

Major Professor

Sarah Kiefer, Ph.D.

Committee Member

Michelle Bombaugh, Ph.D.

Committee Member

Bárbara Cruz, Ph.D.

Committee Member

Veselina Lambrev, Ph.D.

Keywords

Academic Advocacy, Graduation, Persistence, Student Success

Abstract

This qualitative study explored academic advocates’ perceptions regarding holistic student interventions and data analytics utilization to enhance sophomore success at their institution. This study contributes to the literature on sophomore success by providing an academic advocacy perspective and to the emerging literature using data analytics to enhance retention, persistence, and graduation rates in higher education. Multiple methods of data collection were employed, including four academic advocate interviews, document analysis, and reflexive journaling. A hybrid thematic analysis approach was used to analyze the data. By exploring practitioners’ narratives, the research addressed a gap in scholarship on how academic advocates enact their work. Three themes emerged. First, participants viewed advocacy as requiring a balance between student-centered and data-informed approaches. Second, the participants perceived holistic support as central to helping students thrive. Lastly, participants viewed practitioner engagement and awareness as necessary for using data analytic interventions effectively. This study contributes to higher education literature by demonstrating that data-informed analytics and student-centered praxis are mutually reinforcing components of effective academic advocacy. By operationalizing an academic advocacy model, institutions can improve both the scalability and personalization of support interventions to enhance student thriving in the sophomore year.

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