Academic Advising Portfolio - Division of Continuing Education ...

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career maturity. She does not seem to be able to articulate her self‐knowledge from Super’s
Growth stage, which when mature would include realistic perceptions of the work
environment, her interests, her capacities, a sense of control over her environment (which is
consistent with her external locus of control), and a lack of exploration (Niles & Harris‐
Bowlsbey, 2002).
Again, a concrete career assessment may be a useful starting place for identifying
Adrienne’s thoughts and having a productive discussion starting place. The Career
Development Inventory (CDI) could be used to find out how much information Adrienne
actually knows about career planning, the world of work, and her ability to make an informed
decision regarding careers (Niles & Harris‐Bowlsbey, 2002). Used in conjunction with Kolb’s LSI‐
IIA, a picture of Adrienne’s career motivations and strengths can be reflected upon by both
advisor and advisee.
Individual and Institutional Advising Strategies
These assessments, however, are only scratching the surface of working with Adrienne,
and provide only a small glimpse into integrating her self‐knowledge with academic and career
work. Adrienne would greatly benefit from a career exploration course and/or academic skills
course and the advisor can strongly encourage Adrienne to sign up for one during the spring
semester.
As a first‐generation in college student, Adrienne will need the structured support of an
advisor to begin her journey of self‐awareness. She can also receive further scaffolding of
support from positive peer role models. In order to build self‐efficacy, “students must observe
a model of successful behavior that they can emulate” (Newton & Smith, 1996, p. 24). There