Why support students? Using the past to understand the present

Myers, Janette

doi:10.1080/07294360.2012.700509

Cited by 9 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 16 publications

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“…This gulf is also a contribution to the debate on the appropriate nature of support, and, in particular, whether it risks undermining the autonomy of students (Myers, 2013). Although the SSS Manual foregrounds students’ deficit, the students themselves appear to reject this in favour of a discourse of self-reliance.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Whose fault is failure? Contested perspectives of academic support in tertiary educational institutions in South Africa

Jeffery

Johnson

2019

Research in Comparative and International Education

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This paper explores the argument that to widen participation in higher education, educational institutions should bear a greater responsibility for students’ learning. Central to this debate is the notion of ‘academic support’. There are many perspectives on what works to scaffold student participation and learning but rarely are the perspectives of those receiving support taken into account. This paper reports the findings of an exploratory ethnographic study in which students in a vocational college in South Africa reflected on the nature of academic support and access to it. Student narratives that underpin their understandings of how the support system ‘worked’, and what responsibilities they and the college respectively bore for their studies, are compared to the official prescript on student support services in South Africa – the so-called ‘Student Support Services Manual’ which was developed by the South African Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET). The data indicate sharp incongruences in thinking. While the student support services manual maintains that students are a product of their disadvantaged contexts and therefore require an institutional form of academic support, students themselves placed much less responsibility for the provision of academic support on the colleges. Instead, they attributed their success or failure to ‘character’ and their own dispositions towards learning. This is an unexpected finding in the context of an often highly charged debate on the factors that constrain learning and learning outcomes. This paper argues that it is this ‘locus of control’ that undermines the idea that student success is dependent on prescription alone.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Whose fault is failure? Contested perspectives of academic support in tertiary educational institutions in South Africa

Jeffery

Johnson

2019

Research in Comparative and International Education

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Can the role of a personal tutor contribute to reducing the undergraduate degree awarding gap for racially minoritised students?

Gabi,

Braddock,

Brown

et al. 2024

British Educational Res J

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The imperative to address the complex problem of degree awarding gaps within UK higher education institutions is multifaceted and messy. Various studies have continually highlighted this persistent undergraduate awarding gap (racial equity gap or/ethnicity gap) between White and racially minoritised students. This disparity in educational outcomes, where racially minoritised students compared to their White counterparts are less likely to graduate with good honours degrees, has gained considerable attention from policymakers and scholars. This underscores the need for comprehensive strategies that transcend conventional approaches and boundaries to achieve systemic change. Efforts to close the awarding gap have predominantly focused on decolonising the curriculum, which is vital. Still, it is also crucial to recognise personal tutoring (PT) as a pivotal and often underestimated role in addressing the awarding gap. The PT role, with its potential to provide a joined‐up experience for students, promoting student engagement and enabling them to navigate the ever‐changing academic landscape, can be a catalyst for racial equity and an antidote to the degree awarding gap. By reviewing the literature, empirical studies, policy frameworks and practical implementations, this paper sheds light on the diverse ways PT can serve as a potent tool for promoting equity and inclusion and enhancing equitable outcomes for all. Through a synthesis of existing literature and critical analysis, this scoping review highlights ways PT in higher education is conceptualised nationally and internationally and how it can drive transformational change in higher education when aligned with principles of equity.

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Developing Positive Personal Tutor Relationships

Yale

2020

Mentoring in Higher Education

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Why support students? Using the past to understand the present

Cited by 9 publications

References 16 publications

Whose fault is failure? Contested perspectives of academic support in tertiary educational institutions in South Africa

Whose fault is failure? Contested perspectives of academic support in tertiary educational institutions in South Africa

Can the role of a personal tutor contribute to reducing the undergraduate degree awarding gap for racially minoritised students?

Developing Positive Personal Tutor Relationships

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