The Role of Personal Tutoring in Student Success: A Mixed-Methods Study
Monday, April 7, 2025 2:30 PM - 3:15 PM
ENGAGEMENT
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Session Outline
Personal tutoring has emerged as a crucial component of student support in higher education. However, the definition and scope of this role varies widely across institutions. This study aims to investigate students' perceptions and experiences of personal tutoring within the School of Health and Life Sciences at Glasgow Caledonian University (GCU).
According to Wakelin (2021) due to universities becoming more inclusive and the increase of non traditional routes into higher education, the role of the personal tutor will expand and expectations of the students may change to require more support both academically and pastorally.
The School of Health and Life Sciences (SHLS) attracts a wide range of student demographics which, as previously suggested, creates more diverse student populations with the possibility of a wider range of concerns and issues demanding increased time to support.
Research Aims and Objectives
An evaluation of student expectations and needs of a personal tutoring system in the School of Health and Life Sciences, Glasgow Caledonian University.
• To analyse expectations of personal tutoring from a student perspective
• To evaluate variations in priorities for personal tutoring
Quantitative Phase: A quantitative survey, based on the SERVQUAL model, was administered to any student registered within the School of Health and Life Sciences during 6 weeks from October to December 2024. This phase of the study measured the gap between students' expectations and perceptions of the personal tutoring service while investigating the relationship between type of students and their expectations of the personal tutoring provision. Any interesting findings which needed further investigation for answers were highlighted for use in the qualitative data collection phase of the study.
Qualitative Phase: Semi-structured interviews, conducted using the Listening Rooms© methodology, will be employed to delve deeper into students' experiences and gather rich qualitative data. These interviews will explore topics such as the frequency and quality of interactions with personal tutors, the perceived impact of tutoring on academic and personal development, and any challenges or barriers to effective tutoring.
By combining quantitative and qualitative methods, this study aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of students' experiences and expectations of personal tutoring within the SHLS at GCU. The findings of this research will contribute to the development of evidence-based strategies to enhance the effectiveness of personal tutoring and improve student engagement and outcomes.
This presentation will present the findings from stage 1 of the data collection with initial findings from stage 2.
Learning Outcomes
Bibliography
Calabrese, G. et al. (2022) ‘Personal Tutoring Scheme: Expectations, Perceptions and Factors Affecting Students’ Engagement’, Frontiers in Education, 6.
Earwaker, J. (1992) Helping and supporting students: rethinking the issues.
Ghenghesh, P. (2018) ‘Personal tutoring from the perspectives of tutors and tutees’, Journal of Further and Higher Education, 42(4), pp. 570–584. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1080/0309877X.2017.1301409.
Grey, D. and Osborne, C. (2020) ‘Perceptions and principles of personal tutoring’, Journal of Further and Higher Education, 44(3), pp. 285–299. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1080/0309877X.2018.1536258.
Heron, E. (2020) ‘Friendship as method: reflections on a new approach to understanding student experiences in Higher Education’, Journal of Further and Higher Education, 44(3), pp. 393–407.
Holder, H. (2020) ‘Student nurse perceptions and experience of the personal tutor on an undergraduate nursing course - a pilot study’, PRACTICE, 2(1), pp. 86–102.
Lochtie, D. et al. (2018) Effective Personal Tutoring in Higher Education. 1st edn. St Albans: Critical Publishing.
Ross, J. et al. (2014) ‘The personal development tutor role: An exploration of student and lecturer experiences and perceptions of that relationship’, Nurse Education Today, 34, pp. 1207–1213.
Yale, A. (2019) ‘The personal tutor–student relationship: student expectations and experiences of personal tutoring in higher education’, Journal of Further and Higher Education, 43(4), pp. 533–544. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1080/0309877X.2017.1377164.
Yale, A. (2020) ‘Quality matters: an in-depth exploration of the student-personal tutor relationship in higher education from the student perspective’, Journal of Further and Higher Education, 44(6), pp. 739–752.
Competencies
This session addresses the following competencies of the UKAT Professional Framework for Advising and Tutoring