The Role of Tutoring at a Campus Student Success Center and Student Perceptions of Academic Success
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Authors
Sullivan, Terence Andrew
Issue Date
2015-05
Type
Dissertation
Language
en_US
Keywords
retention , persistence , academic success , tutoring , drop out
Alternative Title
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to explore perceptions of students utilizing tutoring services at a centralized Student Success Center (SSC) at a public, comprehensive university in southern Georgia. The study was looking at how students’ perceived the influence tutoring had on their concepts of success in the class for which they received tutoring and overall success as college students. A qualitative research approach was used to examine the research question using a basic interpretive design. Semi-structured interviews were used to collect data from participants. Follow up interviews were conducted to allow participants to clarify meaning. This was triangulated with data from tutoring appointment forms to connect participant responses with information provided by tutors. Data was analyzed using a constant comparative method allowing the researcher to group the data into tentative categories and coding methods were then used to develop themes. These themes were reported using the voice and language of the participants as much as possible. The study found that students using the tutoring services had very positive perceptions of its influence on their success. Many found that without tutoring, they would have received significantly lower grades, been less confident in the material, more likely to drop the class and even withdraw from college. In addition, they reported the benefits from having one on one opportunities for learning and for learning from their peers. One finding that was unique is that the participants found benefits to their learning even from tutoring sessions they believed to be less than successful. INDEX WORDS: retention, persistence, academic success, tutoring, drop out, Tinto’s longitudinal model of student departure, Astin’s I-E-O model, Astin’s theory of involvement.