Students’ Reflections of Tutorial Support Services at a South African University

Description

DOI: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.23475163

Jeremiah Madzimure (Department of Finance & Information Management, Durban University of Technology, South Africa)

The main aim of this research study was to investigate students’ evaluation of tutorial support services at a university in South Africa. The research study was a qualitative analysis. The researcher used three different data sources for the purpose of triangulation. The data sources were individual interviews, reflective activity and focus group interviews. Interviews, one focus group and a reflective activity with twelve undergraduate students were conducted in a case study of a South African university of technology. The study was guided by the Currere theoretical framework. The research found that students accessed all three types of reflections during their tutorial support services sessions. The study findings indicated that students’ main reasons for attending the tutorial sessions were personal and professional, while social rationales had less effect on their attendance. The study suggests that students should adopt all three rationale propositions for the purpose of building multiple justifications for their attendance to the tutorial support service. It is recommended that the university should make it a rule that students should give reasons for attending tutorial sessions, this will enable students to understand the guidelines of the tutorial sessions and the benefits they will gain from attending the tutorial sessions. The students are able to learn the tutorial curriculum that the university has developed. The research results contribute to the design of better tutorial support programs for local universities and educational institutions around the world. The research results provide universities with the information needed for the development of effective tutorial services which will support their operational policies.