An Exploration of Graduate Student Satisfaction with Advising in Departments of Agricultural Education, Leadership, Communications, and Extension

Abstract

Graduate students depend on their advisors to assist them in accomplishing their career goals and ambitions. According to the mentoring–empowered model, as proposed by Selke and Wong (1993), the roles that an advisor plays are: teacher, encourager, role model, counselor, and sponsor–socializer. The purpose of this study was to determine the satisfaction of graduate students in a department of agricultural education, leadership, communications, and extension with their advisors in terms of communication, trust, openness, acceptance, and growth as illustrated in Selke and Wong (1993). The following research objectives were derived from the mentoring constructs found in the mentoring– empowered model (Selke & Wong, 1993). Overall agricultural education graduate students (N = 274) are satisfied with their advisor. Agricultural education graduate advisors are knowledgeable in the areas of: (a) research; (b) university and departmental policies and procedures; (c) funding opportunities; and 4) available coursework. Agricultural education advisors are student–oriented and care about their advisees’ well–being, both academically and personally.