Perceptions Of Support Services Research Articles

Postgraduate Students’ Perceptions of Support Services Rendered by a Distance Learning Institution

Postgraduate studies are generally draining for most students because of the high rigour and cognitive demands required. They are even more arduous for students in a distance-learning context as most of them are full-time employees and lack enough time for their studies. Consequently, they tend to have low success rates due to a lack of required academic and research skills, low English proficiency, and inadequate student support. Underpinned by Simpson's student support model, this research adopted a qualitative approach and a focus group technique to probe nine Ethiopian doctoral students about their perceptions of the support provided by the University of South Africa (Unisa). From a thematic analysis of the themes that recurred, the findings revealed that despite the challenges, most students appreciated the support provided, particularly by supervisors who guided them efficiently and gave them feedback promptly. To improve graduation rates, it is recommended that supervisors be trained in effective supervision and support of students from diverse linguistic and educational backgrounds.

Packaged Deal: Effective Support Systems for International Student Spouses

Global student mobility is growing in importance as students increasingly turn their interest worldwide. International student spouses and their personal experiences is an emerging problem of practice in higher education due to their connection to international student retention rates. In particular, what support systems are provided to this demographic is especially important. Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) was used to examine international student spouses’ perception of support services at an urban private institution of higher education in the United States. A qualitative approach addressed the following research question: What role do international student spouses perceive institutions of higher education have in terms of offering support services? This study focused on five international student spouses who came to the United States on F2 dependent visa status.

Academic experiences of special admit college football athletes: Progress compared to general admits and perceptions of support services

ABSTRACTThis study investigated the academic progress of special admit football players compared to general admit football players, and special admit players’ perceptions of academic support services at a private Division I university in the western United States. Using mixed methods, we quantitatively compared the two groups in terms of credits enrolled, credits attained, GPA, and progress toward degree. We also interviewed special admit football players to determine their satisfaction with academic support services, then analyzed the data to answer quantitative and qualitative study questions. Most notably, we found that while general admit football players had higher GPAs than the special admit athletes, the special admit athletes achieved equivalent progress toward degree. Participant interviews revealed that athletes most value assistance from tutors and learning specialists in the university’s support service framework, as well as supportive relationships. Discussion includes implications for further research and practice.

Observations of Distance Learners on the Commonwealth Youth Programme at the University of Ghana

The University of Ghana has since 2001 been delivering a Commonwealth Youth Programme Diploma in Youth in Development Work through distance learning. Among the main aims of the study were to find out the learners opinions on the suitability of the resources of the University of Ghana available for the programme, and to assess learners’ perceptions of support services. This article summarises the results of a study in which a questionnaire was used to elicit learners’ opinions on various activities and facilities that characterized the delivery of the programme. Some of the main findings are that tutor-marked assignments, tutorials, timed-tests and semester examinations were beneficial to the students. However, a substantial number of learners did not have access to the library facilities. The majority thought facilities and resources provided by the University for the programme were adequate and satisfactorily. It recommends among other things that since learners are found in all the 10 regions of Ghana, the venue for the tutorials should be decentralized. Also to cover all regions, the timed-tests should be written during the end of semester revision period to serve as mock examinations for the learners before they write the end of semester examinations.

First Time Online Learners' Perceptions of Support Services Provided.

The number of online continuous education and training initiatives continues to increase in Caribbean Small Island Developing States (SIDS) and by extension, the number of adult learners who are unfamiliar with the peculiarities of the online teaching and learning environment. The extent to which these learners can derive maximum benefit from these initiatives depends on the rate at which they can adapt to the new circumstances and, as a result, function effectively in this type of teaching and learning environment. To this end, while supporting learners is recognized as a critical success factor little has been explored or documented specific to the Caribbean-SIDS context. The purpose of this study therefore was to describe the support services provided first time online learners in the context of Caribbean-SIDS and examine what if any benefit learners derived from them through their perceptions of these services. The findings reveal that participants’ overall perception of the support services was high. They also reveal that although participants’ awareness of ongoing support services was variable, their rating of the need for and importance of this type of support was also high. The findings suggest that providing support for first time online learners in the context of Caribbean SIDS positively impacts their performance in the online teaching and learning environment.

Caring for Someone with Dementia in a Rural Town Part 2: Services

Dementia care in rural areas is in need of attention from researchers, planners and policy makers. Family carers in these areas face some significant challenges, in terms of managing the care where support services are often unavailable or inaccessible. This paper reports on a qualitative study in which a group of rural based carers participated in a focus group and interviews. Through this process, the carers' perceptions of support services were explored. Content analysis of the data revealed that, despite a number of supportive aspects of rural life, these carers felt in need of more services, a finding supported by current literature.