RAPPORT
Issue 5 (August 2020)
asked by tutees of their personal tutors in
universities.
If organisations that actively promote
listening are seen to be 'healthier'
organisations than those that do not (see,
for example, Burnside-Lawry (2011) and
Schramm (2017)), then healthy
universities are likely to be the ones that
actively encourage listening to the
students and staff within them. It is argued
here that successful personal tutoring is
achieved when listening is taken seriously
in terms of tutoring skills and
organisational commitment to the training
of tutors. Personal tutoring, when well
supported infrastructurally, is one clear
way of promoting an effective listening
culture in universities and one clear way,
and when done well, of ensuring an
increased likelihood of students
successfully transitioning into and through
their degree (Drake, 2011), improving
their academic performance (Young-
Jones et al., 2013), feeling more satisfied
(Simpson, 2006) and experiencing a more
meaningful time:
'it is becoming clear that
relationships are at the heart of the
issue of the student's experience of
university. Personal tutoring has a
key role to play in providing this
relationship' (Hixenbaugh et al.,
2006:55).
Conversely, the degree to which a
university can be regarded as a listening
organisation can easily break down where
personal tutoring infrastructure is neither
present nor obvious, be that to either the
tutor or tutee. For example, whilst
attentive listening by the tutor can take
place, obscure, invisible and/or overly
complicated signposting and referral
services make a poor holistic tutoring
experience for tutor and tutee alike. In
effect, no matter how attentive the
personal tutor may be, the institutional
wish to be regarded as a listening
organisation can easily be lost. As Parks
(2015:18) highlights:
‘(L)eaders that [sic] pursue and
practice empathic listening experience
more positive organizational cultures
and overall organizational
effectiveness.’
A Perspective on Personal
Tutoring
Personal tutoring is based on a
framework of support whether for new
students embarking on their degree or for
returning students continuing their
university career. To provide a personal
tutoring system to students is to clearly
suggest that support is available and that
seeking support is to be encouraged.
Jones (2011) argues that listening plays a
central role in any support process and
describes the importance of differentiating
between 'support listeners' and 'support
seekers'. Such roles as these can be
usefully translated across to the personal
tutoring context, with the personal tutor as
'support listener', needing to actively hear
the experiences, problems and
challenges of her tutees whilst tutees can
very well be regarded as 'seekers'
obviously (and sometimes less obviously)
hunting out support in its varied forms.
The centrality of a supportive relationship
is highlighted by Bodie et al. (2015:152) in
their investigation into the importance of
active listening in 'troubles talk'
(conversations where stress or distress is
disclosed). For them, the impact of
listening is more positive when the
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