Academic wellness and student success: student experiences and perceptions of the student support services program at California State University, Stanislaus

The purpose of this study was to investigate the Student Support Services (SSS) program college students’ perceptions of services, identify the wellness components associated with the services, and determine their relationship to student success. Two conceptual frameworks guided this study. The first was Hettler’s Six Dimensions of Wellness; these include social, emotional, intellectual, spiritual, physical, and occupational dimensions. The other conceptual framework, The Adaptive Theory of Student Success Model, was created by this researcher by bearing in mind the social, emotional, and intellectual wellness components as part of academic support services that may influence student success. The results of this study exposed the importance of providing students with quality academic support that lend itself to some wellness components. Particularly, intellectual wellness seems to be embedded within all SSS services, and is thought to contribute to a positive college experience for SSS students. The top SSS services that students tended to use were academic advising, the computer lab, and workshops. The study also supported the general need for additional research, including conducting the same study to the campus population with similar demographics to determine GPA, retention, and years to graduate. Engagement opportunities were also noted as contributing to student success. Overall, academic wellness may help students reach their academic goals because it may help them to be more comfortable with their academic responsibilities and goals.