Jason Barkemeyer , Joshua Larson and Anna Adams, University of Utah
For those who live in the world of research, the notion of research as part of everyday life is a given. But for the typical academic advisor, research is usually not included as part of their job duties. Advising administrators will often take on this role to contribute to the body of knowledge yet it is not always an expectation for primary role advisors.
As the call is sounded for advisors to begin fulfilling the role of “practitioner scholar,” it is quickly met with a myriad of reasons why advisors are not able step into this arena. “How do I get started?” “It is not part of my job.” “I have no funding to support doing research.” Aiken-Wisniewski, Smith and Troxel (2010) explain the danger of frontline advisors not taking part in research that directly affects their occupation: “Unless researcher-practitioners make a concerted effort to reverse the historical trend, the lack of scholarship in advising, particularly scholarship produced and consumed by professional and faculty advisors, will persist” (p.5). Given the current lack of research on the advising field and profession, if advisors are not to pick up the banner, what are the implications?
