Professional Development Training for Academic Advisors in higher education Overview of Goodman's 4 S factors: Self, Situation, Support, & Strategy. A student case study review to reinforce theory application into practice.

1. Applying Goodman’s 4S Theory
in Academic Performance Interventions with Adult Learners
Inna Link, Vanguard University

2. What are Student
Development Theories?
 Student Development Theories are a set of diverse
theoretical frameworks that provide a lens to help
understand the way students develop, make decisions,
and grow during their college experience (Evans et al.,
2010)
 Student Development Theories should be used in
combination for optimal learning

3. Theories types

4. Schlossberg’s Transition
Theory
 Schlossberg’s (1984) theory of transition explains to the
process of coping with any event or non-event that can
be expected or unexpected
 Transition Types:
 Anticipated
 Unanticipated
 Nonevents

5. Goodman’s addition to
Schlossberg's Theory
 Goodman et al. (2006) defined a transition as any event
or non-event that alters one’s roles, assumptions, or daily
routines (as cited in Evans et al., 2010)
 Process of transition consists of moving in, moving
through, and moving out the transition
 A person’s effectiveness in coping with transition
depends on the following four factors:
 4 S’s: self, situation, support, strategy

6. 4’s
Self Situation
Support Strategy

7. 4’s: SELF
 Personal qualities
 Demographic characteristics
 Psychological resources

8. 4’s: Situation
 Trigger
 Timing
 Control
 Role change
 Duration
 Previous experience with a similar transition
 Stress factors

9. 4’s: Support
 Social support
 Intimate relationships
 Family
 Network of friends
 Institutional (Staff, Faculty, Resources)
 Communities

10. 4’s:Strategy
Strategies falls into 3 main categories:
 Those that modify the situation
 Those that control the meaning of the problem
 Those that help manage the stress in the aftermath

11. Self
• Personal Characteristics
• Self-perception
• Psychosocial resources
Situation
• Trigger
• Timing
• Control
• Role change
• Duration
• Previous experience
• Stress Factors
Support
• Social Support
• Intimate Relationships
• Family
• Networks of Friends
• Institutional
• Communities
Strategies
• Modify Situation
• Modify Meaning
• Manage Stress in aftermath

12. Applying 4’s into
Probation Practices
 Academic underperformance can be constructed as a
transition-caused by the following common triggers:
 Transition to college as a new student
 Life events (anticipated, unanticipated, non-events)
 Shifts in personal drive and academic goals
 Transition out of the college experience

13. Applying 4’s as a
Probation Intervention
Samson Lion
Adult Student in the Business Professional Studies Program
Vanguard University

14. Applying 4’s as a
Probation Intervention
Samson’s Case Study:
“Samson is a first generation college student in late twenties, who recently
transferred to Vanguard from a Community College. He is currently on
academic probation for the pervious semester’s performance, which was his
first semester at Vanguard University. Samson is a quick visual learner, but
he has expressed concerns to his advisor about his writing abilities during
his academic advising appointment last semester. Samson is very social and
he enjoys to be involved in multiple activities at once. He works full-time
and financially supports his family: a wife and 2 young children. Samson is
still learning how to integrate an added student identity dimension to a full
list of other competing roles”

15. Applying 4’s as a
Probation Intervention
 Ask Samson to reflect on his
academic experience during last
semester by completing the
“Academic Standing
Worksheet”
 Samson should complete the
Self, Situation, Support sections
on his own first
 After that, Samson’s advisor
should assist him in completing
the Strategy section by helping
him develop appropriate
strategies to facilitate
improvement in the current
semester

16. Applying 4’s as a
Probation Intervention
 Key elements in employing 4’s theory effectively:
 Intentionally on the advisor’s part to offer support
 Student’s willingness to receive support
 Student’s ownership in self-reflection and carrying out
his/her part to apply the strategies
 Ongoing partnership between the student and advisor
through graduation

17. Applying 4’s as a
Probation Intervention
 Samson was removed from
academic probation the
following semester
 He has significantly improved
his GPA/academic progress
and developed strong writing
abilities
 He found “a happy balance”
by eliminating several
personal commitments to
make education a priority
 He is on track to graduate
next May with honors!!!
Samson Lion’s Success Story:

18. Refernces
 Evans, N. J., Forney, D. S., Guido, F. M., Patton, L. D.,
& Renn, K. A. (2010). Student development in college:
Theory, research, and practice (2nd ed.). San Francisco:
 Merriam, S. B., Caffarella, R. S., & Baumgartner, L. M.
(2007). Learning in adulthood: A comprehensive guide (3rd
ed.). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.