Academic Help-Seeking and Achievement of Postsecondary Students: A Meta-Analytic Investigation

Nearly all college students require some academic assistance throughout their learning experiences. Rather than a dependent act, help-seeking is a self-regulated and motivated strategy; however, there are mixed findings regarding the relationship between academic help-seeking and academic achievement. Thus, the current study used meta-analytic techniques to assess the relationship between academic help-seeking variables and achievement (GPA, grades, test scores) among postsecondary students in 108 studies (119 samples, N = 37,941). Findings revealed a positive association between self-reported, need-contingent help-seeking behaviors and student achievement; the average weighted correlation was very small but potentially meaningful in the long run. Furthermore, the quality of help-seeking mattered, revealing small to moderate associations of greater consequence. Specifically, and executive help-seeking were negatively correlated to achievement; instrumental help-seeking along with formal help-seeking was positively correlated with academic performance. Moreover, a few factors significantly moderated the relationship between help-seeking and achievement. Implications for research and practice will be discussed. Educational Impact and Implications StatementThis meta-analysis highlights small but meaningful (in the long run) associations between types of academic help-seeking and achievement within postsecondary student populations. Although avoidant help-seeking was negatively linked with academic performance, instrumental help-seeking, or seeking help for mastery-oriented learning, was positively related with achievement outcomes. Therefore, educators and administrators interested in college student achievement should explore ways of cultivating systems of adaptive help-seeking. To facilitate this work, our study suggests key areas to focus on, such as considering the sociocultural context and the types of help-seeking and academic outcome.