Academic Help-Seeking Behaviours of Undergraduate Pharmacy Students in Saudi Arabia: Usage and Helpfulness of Resources.

Abstract

Background: University students usually find it difficult to handle academic challenges by themselves and tend to seek help. Academic help seeking is defined as “a behavioral strategy that involves controlling one’s behavior and interacting socially to obtain help from other people.” Methods: A cross-sectional design was planned. An online self-administered questionnaire was used to collect data on academic help-seeking behaviours among year 5 undergraduate pharmacy students. Demographic and background information was described in terms of frequency. Their reasons for seeking academic help (five items) and factors considered for choosing academic resources (six items) used a Likert scale ranging from one (strongly disagree) to five (strongly agree). Usefulness (ten items) was rated on a five-point scale ranging from ‘very useful’ to ‘not useful at all.’ Frequency (ten items) was rated on a five-point scale ranging from ‘never’ to ‘every day.’ Results: A total of 116 pharmacy students completed the survey. The study indicated that the key reasons for seeking help were positive factors—a further improvement of one’s learning and the desire to complete a course. The resources that were most frequently used were peers, the course online portal, and online educational resources. The resources that students found most helpful were peers, the course instructor, textbooks, and online resources. Discussion and conclusion: The frequency of using a certain support resource was not mirrored by its helpfulness. Resources, including professors, teaching assistants, and textbooks, were found helpful but not frequently consulted for help. On the other hand, summaries and notes, for example, were frequently used but not particularly helpful. However, peers currently taking the course and the course management system were found to be very useful and frequently used.