Using action and grounded theory techniques as evidence-based design for an academic advising programme
Academic advising, if done effectively, can play a significant role in supporting student retention. However, as a relatively new field in South Africa, there is limited, locally contextualised, research into advising interventions and their effectiveness. We therefore need evidence-based approache...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Journal of Student Affairs in Africa
2024-12-01
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| Series: | Journal of Student Affairs in Africa |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://upjournals.up.ac.za/index.php/jsaa/article/view/5452 |
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| Summary: | Academic advising, if done effectively, can play a significant role in supporting student retention. However, as a relatively new field in South Africa, there is limited, locally contextualised, research into advising interventions and their effectiveness. We therefore need evidence-based approaches that will lead to more intentionally structured, and shareable practices that meet the needs of our context. With this paper we detail a methodology through which we were able design an evidence-based, academic advising programme which, we argue, is both effective and academically rigorous. We show how we used the principles of action research, supported by grounded theory analytical techniques, to develop a programme for students facing exclusion at SAU. We collected feedback in cycles, where the student ‘voice’ from one cycle (n=352), informed the design of the next cycle. Programme evaluation data (n=122) from a third cycle was used to assess the effectiveness of this approach. The results indicate a positive association of the new capability developed in students, with the designed learning activity. This suggests that the approach was effective. The method we describe has application across a wide variety of student development initiatives and can support effective, intentional design and sharing of such practices. |
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| ISSN: | 2311-1771 2307-6267 |