A Mountain to Climb:Strategies for Working with

Probationary StudentsRobert Pettay, PhDJudy Hughey, PhD

Kansas State UniversityNACADA, 2011

Code 170

Objectives for session-Discuss the probationary student-Discuss concept and use of Motivational Interviewing- Discuss approaches for working with probationary students

The one at the top of the mountain did not fall there.

Advisors are typically in the best position to assist students in making quality academic decisions

Student RetentionIn 2009, the national average for persistence to degree completion within 6 years at four-year public colleges was 48.6% (ACT Inc., 2009)

Reports show that half of college students entering will not complete their degree within 5 years (Wingspread Group, 1993)

Noel-Levitz surveyed institutions of higher education and found an increase in attention given to retention planning (Noel-Levitz, Inc., 2009)

University Business (2006) suggested that it costs $516 for a four-year public institution to recruit one individual student

With an average attrition rate of 41% from first to second year of college (ACT, 2007), and issues with student academic readiness for college (Sax, 2003), there is a need to focus on new approaches and techniques to help students adapt better academic behaviors.

Two of every five students enrolling in 4-year institutions immediately following high school fail to earn bachelors degrees; one in four leave before beginning their sophomore year (Napoli, 1996).

The primary institutional resource available to help students on academic probation is the academic advisor

Prescriptive advising authoritarian relationship in which the advisor makes a “diagnosis”, prescribes a specific treatment for the student, and the student follows the prescriptive regimen-course selection-degree requirements-registration (Crookston, 1972)

Developmental Advisingshared responsibility between the student and advisor that promotes initiative and growth in the student. The advisor directs the student to proper resources, facilitating independence, decision-making, and problem-solving(Crookston, 1972)

Intrusive advising (Earl, 1988)

Intrusive advising is “deliberate intervention to enhance student motivation” (p. 27)

Intrusive advising is characterized by a high frequency of contact between the advisor and student and the role of the advisor reaching beyond providing policy and procedural information (Gehrke & Wong, 2007)

Intrusive Advising Strategies-Provide accurate, accessible, consistent -information regarding progress-Develop coping skills for problem solving-Emphasis on career advising-Quality student-faculty advising experiences

Heisserer & Parette (2002)

In an intrusive relationship, an advisor personally reaches out to students, meets with them, helps them identify the issues and situations contributing to their academic difficulty, helps them set short and long term goals, guides them through the development of a plan to accomplish their goals which include advisor-student follow-up. Through the interactions brought on by intrusive advising the student’s relationship with the advisor, institution and self grows” (Higgins, 2003).

The Probationary Student

College students in poor academic standing may be placed on academic probation by school administrators or performance committees. Once a student is placed on academic probation, scholarly progress must be made within a specific time period. Academic expulsion is the likely consequence if performances continue to be unsatisfactory.

Major factors contributing to academic difficulty-Peer culture - Personal motivation

-Academic major - Organization

-College environment - Study habits

-Faculty contact - Quality of effort

-Work - Self-efficacy

-Career Choice - Perceived control

Pascarelli & Terenzini (1991)

Probationary Student Indicators

Poor Study SkillsDifficulty in completing assignmentsLack of self-confidence in abilitiesPlace great importance on work

Heisserer & Parette (2002)

Gehrke and Wong (2007) found the reasons students fall on academic probation to be-Difficulty in balancing class and work-Insufficient financial aid-Inadequate student-faculty contact-Not being prepared for college academics-Need for better time-management skills-Majoring in a subject that is not enjoyable-Dealing with serious family or other nonacademic issue

Student judgment mistakes-Enrolling in too many classes

-Not repeating classes that previously earned a D or F

-Missing deadlines for dropping classes

-Taking classes without the appropriate prerequisites

-Taking courses solely based on a friend’s recommendation

-Not acknowledging their learning styles

-Waiting too long to connect with academic resources

(Gehrke & Wong, 2007)

8 factors essential for success at college•Responsibility versus control

•Competition

•Task precision

•Expectations

•Wellness

•Time Management

•College involvement

•Family involvement

•Halberg, Halberg, & Sauer (2003)

Motivational Interviewing ConceptA ‘directive, client-centered, counseling style for eliciting behavior change by helping clients explore and resolve ambivalence’

(Miller & Rollnick, 1991)

Helping clients recognize and do something about their current or potential problems, but MI is client focused

Implicit theory of Motivational Interviewing

MI will increase client change talk

MI will diminish client resistance

The extent to which the clients defend the status quo will be inversely related to behavior change

The extent to which the clients verbally argue for behavior change will be directly related to behavior change

Motivational Interviewing has been used extensively and shown efficacy in working with addictive behaviors (Dunn, DeRoo, & Rivera, 2001), and has also been used in changing health behaviors such as physical activity (Hecht et al., 2005), diet (Burke, Arkowitz, and Menchola, 2003), and working with adolescents dealing with obesity (Carels et al., 2007)

Four general principles of Motivational Interviewing

1- Express empathy and active listening : use open-ended questions, assess readiness to change

2- Develop discrepancy : allow clients to provide arguments for change, use affirmation, transitional summary, and key questions

3- Roll with resistance : avoid arguing for change, use reflective listening, information, and advice

4- Support self-efficacy : work on belief for change, use summaries and work on negotiating a change plan.

For change to occur (RAW)Client must be : •ReadyA matter of priorities•AbleConfidence for change•WillingRecognize the importance of change

AmbivalenceThe issue of has to be dealt withI want to, but I don’t want to

One approach - Using a decisional balance sheetBenefits and costs of status quoBenefits and cost of change

Motivational Interviewing principles

•CollaborationProduce an atmosphere conducive to change•EvocationDrawing out client’s motivation for change•AutonomyClient has right and capacity for self-direction

Change RulersHow important would you say it is for you to get off academic probation?

And how confident would you say you are, that if you decided to get off academic probation, you could do it?

0 not at all important-10 extremely important

Open Questions to evoke Change TalkDisadvantages of Status Quo

- What makes you think that you need to do something about your academic performance? - In what ways does this concern you? - How has this stopped you from doing what you want to do in life? - What do you think will happen if you don’t change anything?

Advantages of Change

- How would you like for things to be different? - What would be the good things about doing better academically? - What would you like your life to be like 5 years from now? - What would be the advantages of making this change

Open Questions to evoke Change TalkOptimism about Change

- What makes you think that if you did decide to change that you could do it? - What encourages you that you can change if you want to? - What do you think would work for you if you decide to change? - Who could offer you helpful support in making this change?

Intention to Change

- What are you thinking about your academic performance at this point? - What do you think you might do? - What would you be willing to try? - Never mind the “how” for right now- what do you want to have happen? - So what do you intend to do?

Be a reflective listener

Talk less than your client doesOffer 2 or 3 reflections for every question you askAsk twice as many open-ended questions as closed questionsMore than half of reflections should be deeper, more complex reflections

Signs of Readiness for Change

-Decreased resistance

-Decreased discussion about the problem

-Resolve

-Change talk

-Questions about change

-Envisioning

-Experimenting

Transtheoretical model- Stages of Change

One issue that impacts the process is the where the client is in the change process.

Transtheoretical model of intentional behavior change (DiClemente & Prochaska, 1985)

Change is viewed as a progression

Transtheoretical model- Stages of Change

•Precontemplation : behavior is not a problem, not considering change

•Contemplation : acknowledge possibility of need for change

•Preparation : making a decision to change

•Action : implementing a plan for change

•Maintenance : comfortable with change

Where does student begin and where do they choose to go?

Match the statement with the Stage of Change the student is currently in

Statement Stage of ChangeI am ready to make a plan to do better in schoolMy parents are on my back. I need to do better in school, but it is too hard. Besides other people have problems in school too.I have been doing better in school and my grades the first semester were above averageI really want to go out with my friends and party, but I am finding out that when I do this, my grades sufferChanging my study habits has turned out to be one of the best things I have ever done. I would not have believed this a few months ago

Clients Stage of Change Motivational Strategies for Advisors

Precontemplation Stage

The student is not yet considering change or is unwilling or unable to change

Processes of Change

Consciousness raising : increasing awareness about the effect of the students behavior on themselves and others

Emotional arousal

Emotional experiences that the client has leading to thinking about changing current behaviors

Establish rapport, ask permission, build trust

Raise doubts or concerns in student about behavior by

• exploring meaning of events that brought client to probation

•Elicit students perception of the problem

•Exploring pros and cons of behavior

•Examining discrepancies between students and other’s perception of behavior

•Expressing concern and keeping the door open

Clients Stage of Change Motivational Strategies for Advisors

Contemplation Stage

The student acknowledges concerns and considers the possibility of change

Environmental reevaluation looking at and reacting to the student’s experiences as they relate to behavior

Social liberation

Identifying and utilizing the supports the institution offers to change behavior

Helping relationships establishing supportive relationships while changing student’s behaviors

Normalize ambivalence

Help the student tip the decisional balance scales

toward change by

• Eliciting and weighing the pros and cons of behavior

• Examining the student’s personal values in relation to change

• Emphasizing the students free choice, responsibility, and self-efficacy for change

• Eliciting self-motivational statements of intent and commitment from the student

• Summarizing self-motivational statements

Clients Stage of Change Motivational Strategies for Advisors

Preparation Stage

The student is committed to and planning to make a change in the near future (1 month)

Process of Change

Self-Liberation experiencing hope and confidence in one’s ability to address behavior

Social liberation identifying and utilizing societal support

Helping relationships establishing supportive relationships while changing behaviors

Clarify student’s goals and strategies for change

Offer menu of options for change

With permission, offer expertise and advice

Negotiate a change plan

Consider and lower barriers to change

Help enlist social support

Explore expectancies

Elicit strategies that have worked for student in the past

Have the student publicly announce plans to change

Clients Stage of Change Motivational Strategies for Advisors

Action stage

The student is actively taking steps to change but has not yet reached a stable state

Process of Change

Counterconditioning creating options beside current behavior

Reinforcement management

Celebrating self for changing

Stimulus control managing urges and triggers for behavior

Social liberation identifying and utilizing supports system

Encourage student to maintain behavior and reinforce importance

Support a realistic view of change

Acknowledge difficulties for the student in early stages of change

Help the student identify high-risk situations

Assist the student in finding new reinforcers of positive change

Help the student assess support strength

The Laundry list of possible areas of behavioral focus for the probationary student•Time-management•Health behaviors•Study skills•Classroom involvement•Utilization of campus resources•Social interactions•Career exploration•?????

“The only way to discover the limits of the possible is to go beyond them into the impossible.“  ~ Arthur C. Clarke's Second Law ~

ReferencesACT, Inc. (2007). Institutional data file for 2007. Iowa City, IA. ACT, Inc. (2009, August). National collegiate retention and persistence to degree

rates.Burke, B.L., Arkowitz, H., & Dunn, C. (2002). The efficacy of Motivational Interviewing and its adaptations. In W.R. Miller & S. Rollnick (Eds.), Motivational Interviewing: Preparing people for change (pp.251-269). New York: Guilford Press.Carels, R.A.., Darby, L., Cacciapaglia, H.M., Konrad, K., Coit, C., Harper, J. et al. (2007). Using Motivational Interviewing as a supplement to obesity treatment: A stepped-care approach. Health Psychology, 26, 369-374. Crookston, B.B. (1972). A developmental view of academic advising as teaching. Journal of College Student Personnel, 13, 12-17.Earl, W.R. (1988). Intrusive advising of freshman in academic difficulty. NACADA Journal, 9, 33-38.DiClemente, C.C., & Prochaska, J.O. (1985). Processes and stages of change: Coping and competence in smoking behavior change. In S. Shiffman & T.A. Wills (Eds.), Coping and Substance Abuse (pp. 319-343). San Diego, CA: Academic Press. Dunn, C., DeRoo, L., & Rivera, F. (2001). The use of brief interventions adapted from Motivational Interviewing across behavioral domains: A systematic review. Addiction, 96, 1725-1742. Gehrke, S., & Wong, J. (2007). Students on academic probation. In L. Huff & P. Jordan (Eds.), Advising special populations (Monograph No. 17, pp. 135-150). Manhattan, KS: National Academic Advising Association. Hallberg, E., Hallberg, K., & Sauer, L. (2003). College Success Factors Index. Wadsworth Publishing.Heisserer, D.L., & Parrette, P. (2002). Advising at-risk students in college and university settings. College Student Journal, 36, 69-84. Hecht, J., Borelli, B., Breger, R.K.R., DeFrancesco, C., Ernst, D., & Resnicow, K. (2005). Motivational Interviewing in community-based research:

Experiences from the field. Annals of Behavioral Medicine, 29, 29-34.Higgins, E.M. (2003). Advising students on probation. NACADA Clearinghouse of Academic Advising Resources. Isaak, M.I., Graves, K.M., & Mayers, B.O. (2006). Academic, motivational, and emotional problems identified by college students in academic jeopardy. Journal of College Student Retention, 8, 171-183.Miller W.R. & Rollnick S. (1991). Motivational Interviewing: Preparing people to change (2nd ed.). New York: Guilford Press. Napoli, A. (1996). Psychosocial factors related to retention and early departure of two-year community college students (Doctoral dissertation, State University of New York at Stony Brook, 1996). Dissertation Abstracts International, 57.Noel-Levitz, Inc. (2009). 2009 student retention practices and strategies at four-year and two-year institutions. Pascarelli, E.T., & Terenzini, P.T. (1991). Twenty years of research on college students: Lessons for future research. Research in Higher Education, 32, 83-92.Sax, L.J. (2003). Our incoming students-What are they like. About Campus, 8, 15-20.University Business (2006). White paper: Connecting enrollment and fiscal management. Wingspread Group on Higher Education. (1993). An American imperative: Higher expectations for higher education. Racine, WI: The Johnson Foundation, Inc.