This study examined students with learning disabilities' use of academic advising, specific academic support, during their first year of college and the relationship it had with undergraduate completion. Forty-one participants were recruited via email, telephone and social media to seek their consent for the researcher to access their academic and support service records. The results show that the number of academic advisor meetings attended during the first year of college did not significantly affect overall GPA or GPA at the end of the third semester.
Those who used probationary housing during their first year were more likely to graduate in four years than those students who did not use their probationary housing during their first year. The results suggest that incoming first-year students with learning disabilities should be aware of the importance of seeking out and registering with the disability office on campus to arrange their probation.
Introduction and Review of the Literature
Adelman (1992) explained that their findings may have been related to the academic advising available to students with learning disabilities. The Department of Education (2011) indicates that the number of school-age students with learning disabilities who participate in general education for most of the school day has increased significantly in recent years. Many studies have attempted to examine the effectiveness of the inclusion model versus assisted living room services and their impact on the academic performance of students with learning disabilities.
The most commonly used accommodation or service offered to students with learning disabilities is changes to test conditions, with most. Therefore, it has been found that notes taken by students with learning disabilities are often incomplete and inaccurate (Vogel, 1982). Research on students with learning disabilities and their use of note-taking services has been inconclusive (Maydosz & Raver, 2010).
Peer-based coaching programs are another form of intervention that can be offered to students with disabilities in the postsecondary setting. Another intervention that postsecondary institutions can use for students with disabilities is a faculty mentorship program (FMP). The limited research shows that there is a link between college success for students with learning disabilities and their use of academic support services.
Method
Academic consultants at the university are advanced master's students on the School Psychology programme, who are trained in assessment and intervention with both educational and psychological problems. The number of academic advisory meetings participants attended during their first year was counted and recorded. Utilization of note-taking services was originally to include the number of classes for which students requested class notes during the first year.
The academic college within the university at the time of graduation was recorded and fell under the categories of Business/Vocational Studies, Liberal Arts and Sciences. Once the data was collected and analyzed, we were able to determine if there was a difference between the four categories of colleges at the university. This variable is important because collecting the information allowed us to determine if there was a difference in the number of academic advisor meetings and GPA/degree attainment between genders.
Cumulative GPA scores were collected from the university's online database, in addition to 1st year GPA and 3rd semester GPA, which were recorded on a scale of 0.0 to 4.0. Data on degree completion at this university were collected through university records, in which two dummy variables were created: degree completed or degree incomplete. The number of college semesters students took to complete their degree was recorded.
A dummy variable was constructed for the number of semesters to completion (eight or fewer semesters or more than eight semesters). This variable helped determine the relationship between the number of first-year academic consulting meetings and the number of semesters taken to complete the degree. Students enrolled at the university who had completed three academic semesters or more were contacted to explain the study and request their consent to participate.
Participants who were still enrolled in college could not be part of the data analyzes when using the variable of overall GPA because they had not yet graduated. With their consent, information on each student's overall GPA, 1st year GPA, 3rd semester GPA, degree completion, number of academic semesters taken to graduate, SAT and/or ACT scores, gender, and college was collected via the university's online database.
Results
Is end-of-third-semester GPA associated with number of first-year academic advisor appointments attended while controlling for use of test accommodations, note-taking services, standardized test scores, university, and gender. GPA at the end of the third semester was regressed on the number of academic advisor appointments attended in the first year, controlling for use of testing accommodations during the first year (used testing accommodations or not used), use of note-taking services during freshman year (used or not using note-taking services), standardized test scores (SAT and/or ACT scores), academic college at time of graduation, and gender. By holding these variables constant, without having to calculate their effects on 3rd semester GPA, the researcher was able to independently understand the effect that academic advisor meetings attended during the 1st semester had on 3rd semester GPA .
Academic advisor meetings attended during the first semester were first added to the regression to test for significance before controlling for other variables. The regression showed that academic advisor meetings attended during the first year had no significant effect on GPA at the end of the third semester (Beta = -.143; p =.471). Scatter analysis did not appear to show a relationship between Semester 3 GPA and the number of academic advisor meetings attended during the first year.
The number of semesters to completion was regressed on the number of academic advisor appointments attended during the first year, controlling for use of test accommodations, note-taking services, standardized test scores, college, and gender. Academic consultant appointments attended during the first year were first added to the regression to test for significance before controlling for other variables. The regression showed that the more academic advisor meetings attended in the first year, the longer it took the student to graduate.
The result is significant at the 0.025 level (Exp(B) meaning that each unit increase in first-year academic advisor meetings attended increased the odds of taking more than eight semesters to graduate by a factor of 1.255. Are meetings with academic advisors during the first year associated with overall GPA, and if so, are they more important than test accommodations, note-taking services, standardized test scores, college, and gender. overall (M = 3.07; SD = .41) was regressed on meetings with Academic Advisors during the first year, controlling for use of test accommodations, note-taking services, standardized test scores, college, and gender.
By holding these variables constant and removing their effects on overall GPA, the examiner was able to understand the effect that academic advisor meetings attended during the first semester had on overall GPA. The regression showed that the number of meetings attended by academic advisors in the first year did not.
Discussion
The average number of advisory meetings attended by students with learning disabilities during the first year was 14. Although this study suggests that academic advisory meetings during the first year are not helpful for students with learning disabilities, this is most likely not correct . . The participants in the current study had both higher graduation rates and higher attendance at academic consulting meetings than students with disabilities in general at the university.
Because of this, first-year students with learning disabilities must be aware of the importance of their research and follow-up. However, the findings in this study contradict research examining the prediction of overall GPA using SAT scores for students with learning disabilities. SAT scores are not typically a reliable predictor of academic performance for students with learning disabilities (DaDeppo 2009; Murray & Wren, 2003; Wilczenski & Gillespie-Silver, 1992; Vogel & Adelman, 1992).
Therefore, another limitation of this study was that the sample was not representative of the population of students with learning disabilities who register with the disability office at the university. The present study only examined the effect of academic support on students with learning disabilities during the first year and the impact on GPA and semesters taken to graduate. Future research can be done to determine which specific test accommodations have a significant effect on academic performance for students with learning disabilities.
Graduation rate, intellectual functioning level and matriculation time for university students with learning disabilities. Integration factors related to the academic success and intention to continue in university students with learning disabilities. Ball State University's faculty mentoring program: Improving the freshman experience for students with disabilities.
A study of national and state trends toward the education of students with learning disabilities in general education classrooms. Educational programs for primary school pupils with learning difficulties: Can they be both effective and inclusive. Cognitive, academic, and attitudinal predictors of grade point average for college students with learning disabilities.
An observational study of reading instruction provided to elementary students with learning disabilities in the resource room.
