Decisively Indecisive Students and How Advisors Should React

Decisively Indecisive Students and How Advisors Should React Zack Underwood & Erika Hanson University of North Carolina Wilmington NACADA 2016 in Atlanta, Georgia

Describe Today’s Undecided and Indecisive Student • Are they the same? • Are they different?

Definition – Students are “unwilling, unable, or unready to make educational or vocational decisions have been referred to as undecided” (Gordon, 1995, p. x). • Our definition – Undecided • Have options, just are not sure how to make the decision but are self-aware – Indecisive • Have not identified options, and are unready to make decisions, lack self-awareness • “Often students have not explored their interests and are unaware of their abilities, skills and values” (Steele & Mc. Donald, 2000, p. 149).

Levels of Indecisiveness • Erikson’s Stages of Development – Trust vs. Mistrust – Autonomy Vs. Shame – Initiative Vs. Guilt – Industry Vs. Inferiority – Identity Vs. Role Confusion – Solidarity vs. Isolation – Generativity Vs. Stagnation (35 and up)

Gordon’s Levels of Career Indecisiveness • 7 Levels of Career Indecisiveness, includes categories and subcategories – Very Decided (Knows what they want) – Somewhat Decided (Open to ideas, need advising) – Unstable Decided (High anxiety about decision) – Tentatively Undecided (Closest to a decision) – Developmentally Undecided (Erikson’s Stages) – Seriously Undecided (Low self-esteem but can make decision) – Chronically Indecisive (lacks ability to make decisions in more areas of their life than a major)

History of Today’s Indecisive Student • Social Saturation “Through the technologies of the century, the number and variety of relationships in which we are engaged, potential frequency of contact, expressed intensity of relationship, and endurance through time all are steadily increasing” (Gergen, 1991, p. 61). • Multiphrenia “As the century has progressed selves have become increasingly populated with the character of others” (Gergen, 1991, p. 71). • Major choices expanded “Information anxiety is produced by the ever-widening gap between what we understand what we think we should understand” (Wurman, 1989, p. 14).

History of Today’s Indecisive Student • Rationality “What is rational in one relationship is questionable or absurd from the standpoint of another. We approach a condition in which the very idea of ‘rational choice’ becomes meaningless” (Gergen, 1991, p. 78 -79). • Major Decision “Now students are required to make choices about education that may affect them for the rest of their lives. And they are forced to make these choices at a point in their intellectual development when they may lack the resources to make them intelligently” (Schwartz, 2004, p. 17)

Forest Analogy

Constructing a New Future • Students are influenced by their peers, media, family, and others. • Social constructivism theory finds “humans learn from each other, so learning should be promoted in collaboration with others” (Musser & Yoder, 2013, p. 182). • This activity is a reverse informational interview. Instead of the student asking information about others, they ask about themselves.

It’s a Me World • Have students interview others concerning what others see as their strengths and weaknesses (if known) • This can be a powerful experience for students to understand how expectations of family may be counter to what their friends or roommates believe. • “It is the student’s responsibility to thoughtfully consider his/her strengths and weaknesses without the assistance of an adviser” (Stark, 2002, para. 6).

• Involves developmentally questioning student regarding their progress towards a major or decision • “Students fear that if they make the wrong decision now they will waste thousands of dollars and be stuck in a career they hate” (Bures, 2011, para. 3).

• Ask what if scenarios to help them with their undecided or indecisive nature. • “Rather than picturing the selection of a major as locking them into one career, students should be encouraged to see it as unlocking a number of career opportunities” (Bures, 2011, para. 4). – What if you majored in Art? – What if you took more liberal arts classes? – What if you wanted to become a doctor? – What fears come to mind if you were to major in Social Work? Note: This could involve silence as a technique or saying something that an advisee may not want to say (See Clarkson in Academic Advising Today, 2007).

Case Study • Advisor: What are you majoring in? • Christina: I want to major in Music, but my parents think I will be homeless when I graduate. I’m thinking about majoring in business so I can make lots of money. • Advisor: ___________

Prescriptive Activity • Some students who are undecided, may lack confidence to make better decisions (Gordon, 1998). • General education requirements can act as a hurdle and a blessing for un/indecisive students (Cuseo, 2005) • Prescriptive advising could give students more confidence in their decision

Prescriptive Activity • Similar to going to a doctor’s office, prescriptive advising can help students gain a list of positives and negatives • If students are unsure of their next step, have them make an inventory of their progress. • Identify classes they enjoyed, classes they did not enjoy and classes that were indifferent. • This could also apply to majors, minors, careers, and more.

Write down your favorite classes beyond your major classes • See if there any connections or themes to the content or projects within these courses towards your major or a different major from your institution • How well did you succeed in these classes? • What stood out in these classes?

Baby Steps • Downing (2017) believes that writing is one of the best ways to assist with a student’s transition • https: //www. youtube. com/watch? v=p 3 JPa 2 m v. SQ 4 • Goals can be written to assist students with small or large areas

One Decision at a Time • Even if students are decisively indecisive, they must make decisions about everyday life. • Ask them how they made up their mind to eat a certain food for breakfast or wear a certain pair of shoes for the advising meeting. • Setting small goals such as choosing a certain number of classes or choosing one class could start a chain of events.

Motivational Interviewing • Advisors “can utilize MI to assist students in developing motivation to make a choice or to change a behavior” (Hughey & Pettay, 2013, p. 69).

What do you know about? • What do you know about this major? • What would be the benefits of choosing this major? What are the drawbacks? • Who in your life supports your decision to major in …? What makes you believe you would rather major in …? How will changing/deciding your major, affect you? • How are you feeling about making this change? What do you intend to do now?

Ask Your Neighbor • What do you know about – Agricultural Exploration? – Recreation, Sports Leadership and Tourism Management? – Farrier Science?

Moving Off Campus Decisional Balance

Confidence Ruler • Helpful in bringing to light the students’ desire and ability for change • Confidence Ruler 0 -10 • On a scale of 0 to 10, with 0 being not important and 10 being extremely important, … • On a scale of 0 to 10, with 0 being not confident and 10 being extremely confident, …

You want to be a school teacher • On a scale of 0 -10 – How important is money? – How confident are you that you can control a classroom? – How confident are you working with children?

MI in Reverse • Motivation Interviewing stresses the ability to roll with resistance and grow self-efficacy • Instead of challenging students to get over it, “encourage them to explore obstacles. (Cate, 2013, p. 61). • Look for commonalities and patterns in student responses

O’Banion in Reverse • Students choose course work in which they have an interest • Ask the student to find commonalities and patterns in his/her interests • How can these be translated into majors/minors • Future implications?

Hermeneutic Inquiry • Uncovers “meanings and intentions that are, in a sense, hidden” (Crotty, 1998, p. 91). • Key concepts – Interpretation – Connectedness – World – Time • “Understanding is the original characteristic of being of human life itself” (Gadamer, 1989, p. 259).

Reflexive Questioning • Review personal history “Tell me about your life. Tell me about your decision making process for determining your major. ” • Educational influence “How has college been? Are you headed in the right direction? What would make this experience more interesting? ” • Self-awareness “What is it like being a freshman? If I was your best friend, why would I think you would choose this major? ” • Attitudes and Values “How do you feel about this particular major? ”

Reflexive Scenario • Student: “I am debating between 5 or 6 majors. I am really not sure what I want to do. Maybe I should double major. Is triple majoring possible? • How do you respond: – Personal history – Education – Self-awareness – Attitudes & values

Future Implications • Cuseo finds “final decisions about majors and careers do not occur before students enter college; rather, students make these decisions during the college experience” (2005, p. 33). • “Policy makers need to remain cognizant of the fact that beginning college students need adequate “incubation” time for their major and career plans to incubate” (Cuseo, 2005, p. 33 -34). • Enact programs that encourage career/academic advising within the first year

Applications for Advisors • If advisors can be seen as empathetic, knowledgeable, and competent resources, the decision-making process may become less agonizing for their students and themselves (Slowinski & Hammock, 2003, para. 8).

Time to Speculate • What if students no longer declared their major while entering an institution? – Implications could include more advising, but also more freedom for indecision – Could this work? (EAB, 2016)

References Bures, K. (2011, September). Why choosing a major is not choosing a career (. . . and not the end of the world). Academic Advising Today, 34(3). Retrieved from http: //www. nacada. ksu. edu/Resources/Academic-Advising-Today/View-Articles/Why-Choosing-a-Major-is-Not-Choosing-a-Career-(and-not-the -end-of-the-world). aspx Cate, P. (2013). Voices from the field: So I’ve been thinking… O’Banion in reverse. In J. Drake, P. Jordan, & M. A. Miller (Eds. ), Academic advising approaches: Strategies that teach students to make the most of college (pp. 61 -63). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass. Clarkson, S. (2007, September). The role of silence in advising. Academic Advising Today, 30(3). Retrieved from http: //www. nacada. ksu. edu/Resources/Academic-Advising-Today/View-Articles/The-Role-of-Silence-in-Academic-Advising. aspx Crotty, M. (1998). The foundations of social research: Meaning and perspective in the research process. London: Sage Publications. Cuseo, J. (2005). “Decided, ” “undecided, ” and “in transition”: Implications for academic advisement, career counseling, and student retention. In R. S. Feldman (Ed. ), Improving the first year of college: Research and practice (pp. 27– 48). Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum. Downing, S. (2017). On Course: Strategies for creating success in college and in life. Boston, MA: Cengage Learning. EAB. (2016). How late is too late? Myths and facts about the consequences of switching college majors. Retrieved from https: //www. eab. com/technology/student-success-collaborative/members/white-papers/major-switching Erikson, E. H. (1993). Childhood and society. WW Norton & Company. Gadamer, H. G. (1989). Truth and method (2 nd ed. ). J. Weinsheimer & D. G. Marshall (Trans). New York, NY: Continuum. Gordon, V. (1995). The undecided college student: An academic and career advising challenge. (2 nd ed. ). Springfield, Ill. : Thomas. Gordon, V. (1998). Career decidedness types: A literature review. ” Career Development Quarterly 46. Hughey, J. , & Pettay, R. (2013). Motivational interviewing: Helping advisors initiate change in student behaviors. In J. Drake, P. Jordan, & M. A. Miller (Eds. ), Academic advising approaches: Strategies that teach students to make the most of college (pp. 67 -82). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass. Musser, T. & Yoder, F. (2013). The application of constructivism and systems theory to academic advising. In J. Drake, P. Jordan, and M. Miller (Eds. ), Academic advising approaches: Strategies that teach students to make the most of college (pp. 179 -196). San-Francisco: Jossey-Bass. Slowinski, Patrick T. , and Hammock, W. Kerry (2003) Undecided/open students. Retrieved from the NACADA Clearinghouse of Academic Advising Resources Web site: http: //www. nacada. ksu. edu/Resources/Clearinghouse/View-Articles/Advising-Undeclared-Students. aspx Stark, K. (2002, Sept. ). Advising undecided students: What works best? . The Mentor, Retrieved from https: //dus. psu. edu/mentor/old/articles/020916 ks. htm