Author ORCID Identifier
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1736-2767
Defense Date
2026
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy
Department
Education
First Advisor
Sharon Zumbrunn
Abstract
Conceptualized as a self-regulated learning (SRL) strategy, academic help-seeking is a fascinating behavior because it is self-directed while also reliant on social interactions with help-givers (Karabenick, 2004). What is known about help-seeking in academic settings largely revolves around individual traits, strategies, motivations, beliefs, and identities, and how each of these constructs influence help-seeking outcomes (Bornschlegl et al., 2020; Fong et al., 2023; Karabenick & Gonida, 2018). What is underexplored in these areas, however, is how features of the learning context interact with student-level factors to shape academic help-seeking behaviors and beliefs. This dissertation attempts to address some of these gaps through three papers, each of which considers academic help-seeking as a social process that takes place inside complex, multi-layered contexts. The objectives of the dissertation include a) synthesizing existing research on academic help-seeking and context, b) conceptualizing and applying novel theoretical frameworks of academic help-seeking that consider student identities in context, and c) offering research-based strategies for students, instructors, and education leaders to improve students’ ability to both ask for help and use the help they receive. Paper 1 helps to achieve the first objective by systematically reviewing scholarship on contextual determinants of academic help-seeking at the interpersonal, instructional, and institutional levels. Paper 2 draws from gaps in this literature by taking a mixed methods approach to studying the development of identity and belonging, how these reciprocally shape help-seeking, and the role of context. I draw from the belonging opportunity structures framework (Gray et al., 2018) and the Phenomenological Variant of Ecological Systems Theory (PVEST) (Spencer, 2008) to frame help-seeking experiences, specifically those of multiply-marginalized students in higher education. Finally, Paper 3 offers another theoretical and practical perspective of academic help-seeking by adapting a model of proactive recipience from feedback literature. All three papers conclude with practical implications for education stakeholders.
Rights
© The Author
Is Part Of
VCU University Archives
Is Part Of
VCU Theses and Dissertations
Date of Submission
5-6-2026