Academic Advisors’ Experience With Academic Entitlement: A Phenomenological Study

Author

Felicia A KingFollow

Campus Location

Dallas Campus (Online)

Date of Award

4-2021

Document Type

Dissertation

Department

Organizational Leadership

Degree Name

Doctor of Education

Committee Chair or Primary Advisor

Tim Atkinson

Second Committee Member or Secondary Advisor

Rick Zomer

Third Committee Member or Committee Reader

Jason Morris

Abstract

Academic entitlement is on the rise in higher education. Research on academic entitlement typically focuses on faculty and behavior inside the classroom. Academic entitlement affects the college as a whole, both inside and outside of the classroom. This phenomenological study explored academic entitlement within student affairs, specifically, academic advisors' experience with academic entitlement. Additionally, the study focused on a large community college, whereas previous studies were situated within 4-year colleges and universities. The phenomenological study aimed to determine what academic entitlement behaviors were present in academic advising and examine how academic advisors reacted to the academic entitlement behaviors. Twelve academic advisors at a large community college in South Texas participated in one-on-one semi-structured interviews. The findings highlighted the presence of academic entitlement behaviors within advising. The academic entitlement was displayed through unrealistic expectations, seeking undeserved services, and expressing inappropriate behavior. When experiencing academic entitlement, the academic advisors typically responded with either an emotional response or an actionable response. The study's findings provided insight into academic entitlement within academic advising and provided a foundation for developing best practices for working with academically entitled students.

Keywords: academic entitlement, academic advising, student affairs, community colleges

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.

Recommended Citation

King, Felicia A, "Academic Advisors’ Experience With Academic Entitlement: A Phenomenological Study" (2021). Digital Commons @ ACU, Electronic Theses and Dissertations. Paper 343.
https://digitalcommons.acu.edu/etd/343