Students’ reflections of tutorial support services at a South African university.

Abstract

Tutorial support services in the curriculum is assisting students to understand and succeed in their academic studies. The main purpose of this study was to explore students’ reflections of tutorial support services at a South African university. The three key research questions that were addressed by this study are: What are students’ reflections of tutorial support services at a South African university? How do students’ reflections influence tutorial support services at a South African university? What informs students’ reflections of tutorial support services at a South African university? This study was located within the interpretative paradigm and a qualitative case study was adopted. Data were collected from three main sources for triangulation purposes: one-on-one interviews, reflective activity and focus group interviews. Furthermore, this qualitative case study draws on six (6) undergraduate students at one South African university of technology. The Currere theoretical framework was adopted for this study. The study found that the students are using all three reflections (formal, informal, and personal) in tutorial support services sessions. The findings of this study have showed that while there are three types of rationale – personal, societal, and professional rationale, students have centered both rationales as the most dominant influence in attending tutorial sessions. This study recommends that students should equally integrate these three propositions of rationale for a full, rounded reasons for attending tutorial support services. The university should make it mandatory that they explicitly define the rationale of attending tutorial classes, so that students gain access to the guidelines/rationale of why they are attending tutorials and what benefits are derived from attending them. This will assist the students to implement the tutorial curriculum successfully. Findings generated from this study may be used improve more effective and efficient tutorial support programmes, not only at this institution, but other institutions across the globe. Finally, this study could inform policy formulation for the implementation of effective tutorial services in universities.