The Role of Learning Support Services in University Students’ Educational Outcomes

Abstract

Learning Support Services at the University of California, Santa Cruz is intended to aid students—particularly those who are at highest risk of academic failure—to master the required material and succeed in their courses. It includes two primary components: modified supplemental instruction (MSI) and tutoring. This study uses data from administrative records kept by University of California, Santa Cruz on its students’ academic experiences in the 2010–2011 to 2013–2014 academic years to examine the extent of utilization of MSI and tutoring, the types of students engaged in these activities, and the role of Learning Support Services in aiding students to improve their course grades, remain in school, and graduate in 4 years. The study addresses gaps in the literature on both supplemental instruction and tutoring by offering a new method to reduce selection bias in comparing participating to nonparticipating students and by focusing on the extent of participation in programs, rather than whether participation occurred or not. Students who participated in MSI and tutoring earned higher course grades when compared with other students and, in the case of MSI, compared with themselves in courses where they did not participate in MSI. Tutoring, but not MSI, was associated with improvements to retention, and neither was associated with improvements to 4-year graduation.

A Longitudinal Study of the Effects of Pre-College Preparation and Use of Supplemental Instruction during the First Year on GPA and Retention for Women in Engineering

“…Malm et al [10] have reported that a higher percent of students who used SI passed first-year engineering courses and had higher grades compared to students who did not use SI. Another study found that students who used SI gained 0.02 grade points for each additional SI session attended [11]. SI attendance has been demonstrated to have a positive effect on student performance, regardless of a student's past academic performance [10].…”

The challenges of Rural Students in Vietnam towards higher education

“…Social support plays a crucial role in students and their learning outcomes at school (Balzer Carr & London, 2019). Gao and colleagues studied the role of support with students in China and affirmed that the students who receive support from friends, teachers, and family have higher achievement at school than the others (Gao et al, 2021).…”

“…Lack of social support can result in the student's not coping, procrastination, and dropping out of education. Social support includes emotional validation as well as practical support (Ertel et al, 2009;Balzer Carr & London, 2019;Runions et al, 2021).…”

Risk Factors and Effectiveness of Implemented Academic Interventions on Student Retention at a Hispanic-Serving Institution

“…Academic interventions that have been shown to increase student retention include: supplemental instruction and tutoring (Balzer Carr & London, 2019;Laskey & Hetzel, 2011), first-year seminar (Dalton & Crosby, 2014;Padgett & Keup, 2011), academic advising (Swecker et al, 2013;Zhang et al, 2017), student coaching (Capstick et al, 2019;Dalton & Crosby, 2014), and peer mentoring (Kiyama & Luca, 2014;Reyes, 2011). Glenn (2003) suggested that most effective interventions aimed at increasing the retention of Black students is to identify students with risk factors at enrollment and track their academic progress.…”