College Student Ratings of Student Academic Support: Frequency, Importance, and Modes of Communication

Research suggests that student academic support plays a vital role at the college level as students often view communication with peers as their primary source of academic support (Thompson, 2008 Thompson, B. 2008. How college freshmen communicate student academic support: A grounded theory study. Communication Education, 57: 123–144. [Taylor & Francis Online], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]). This research advances the Student Academic Support Scale (SASS) as a method of assessing the frequency, importance, and mode of communicating academic support among college students. Study one details scale development procedures, presents the results of factor analysis, and advances the SASS. Study two examines the frequency and importance of specific supportive behaviors and explores the modes commonly used by students to communicate academic support. Implications for teachers, scholars, and university administrators are discussed.