School Advisory Programs: Theories, Constructs, and Impact

Introduction

The importance of school advisory programs cannot be ignored, since these programs shape some of the most formative years in a student's life. This paper focuses on current theories and explanations and how their practical implications have affected advisory programs in schools. The proposed relationships among key constructs and the ambiguities present in the literature are also discussed.

Current Theories and Explanations

Advisor mentoring is linked to attachment theory, which states that a child's early experiences with a caregiver influence his or her expectations of others in subsequent stages of life (Bretherton, 1992, p. 759). Current theories align with attachment theory and verify that a child's behavior throughout the lifespan is influenced by the care received in early childhood, as expressed in Mark Van Ryzin's (2010) article "Secondary school advisors as mentors and secondary attachment figures."

Building on this concept, a valuable theory presented by Bronfenbrenner in 1979 can be of great help in analyzing present literature and research studies. Bronfenbrenner argued that a child's development is best understood by examining the environmental factors that influence it (Bronfenbrenner, 1994, p. 37). His work clearly conceptualizes that a child's immediate environment has a deep impact on mental and emotional growth. This theory can be applied to advisory programs so that a child's progress may be studied by evaluating his or her relationship with the advisor.

Proposed Relationships among Constructs

The proposed constructs identified across various studies include attachment network, closeness to advisor, feeling of assurance, learning engagement, perceptions of advisor and peer support, psychological adjustment, and academic achievement. In one study from the bibliography, the most commonly cited reasons schools give for not implementing advisory programs are time constraints, unclear focus, lack of leadership and organization, difficulties in implementation, and concerns about sustainability — as discussed in "Linchpins or lost time: Creating effective advisories" (2013). The overall relationships among these constructs become evident when a school demonstrates a genuine willingness to implement advisory programs and commit the time necessary to run them. Under those conditions, schools are more likely to encourage students to seek help from their advisors, ultimately leading to improved academic performance.

In another study, school counselors indicated that they genuinely want to fulfill their mission of supporting student success and consider themselves well-equipped to do so. However, they did not always fulfill these goals in practice, citing an unclear perception of their own roles and a heavy administrative workload, which resulted in spending less time with students in advisory sessions. This suggests that additional proposed constructs might include "unclear conception of counselor roles" and "insufficient time due to increased administrative burdens." When linked with the constructs mentioned above, these factors reveal that administrative workload hinders schools from dedicating time to advisory programs, which in turn obstructs children's school performance and prevents students from forming meaningful attachment relationships with their advisors.

Conclusion

Schools should not ignore the impact of advisory programs on a child's development, as the child is the future pioneer of any economy in the world. Schools should allocate adequate resources and time to advisory programs so that children and their parents feel that the child's well-being is being actively supported. When a trust-based attachment relationship is built between a child and his or her teachers or advisors, a productive and nurturing environment can be created — one that supports better academic results and broader personal growth.

References

Bretherton, I. (1992). The origins of attachment theory: John Bowlby and Mary Ainsworth. Developmental Psychology, 28(5), 759–775.

Brodie, B. S. (2014). Perceptions of the impact of high school advisory on academic success, connectedness and personalization of education (Doctoral dissertation). University of Vermont.

Bronfenbrenner, U. (1994). Ecological models of human development. International Encyclopedia of Education, 3, 37–43.

Wang, H., Zhou, X., Lu, C., Wu, J., Deng, X., Hong, L., Gao, X., & He, Y. (2012). Adolescent bullying involvement and psychosocial aspects of family and school life: A cross-sectional study from Guangdong province in China. PLoS ONE, 7.