RAPPORT
Issue 5 (August 2020)
their Diploma, such students receive credit
for the first year at an Australian university
and continue their undergraduate degree
from the second year. I chose Diploma
students to be my participants as,
according to Marshall (1996), in purposive
sampling, "the researcher actively selects
the most productive sample to answer the
research question" (p. 523). Diploma
students would be educationally mature
enough to understand the importance of
action planning, self-directed learning, and
reflective practice. In terms of numbers,
they represented a substantial proportion
of the fifteen studying at this level, thereby
providing grounds for suggesting some
generalizability in terms of results.
The two teachers, who volunteered from a
pool of thirty, had direct knowledge of the
Individual Learning Plan. Both were willing
to take part in this study by following the
suggested intervention and being
interviewed twice. They were interviewed
before the first tutorial meeting in week 1
to capture their previous experience with
completing ILP, and again in week 16 to
capture their feedback on the
implementation of the tutorial meetings
and the use of ILP during these meetings
to record students' progress.
In Week 1, students were requested by a
tutorial teacher to meet at an allocated
time to discuss and complete their
Individual Learning Plan. The average
time spent with each student individually
during the tutorial session was between
fifteen and twenty minutes for T1 and ten
to fifteen minutes for T2. After the first
meeting, I sent the students a link to an
anonymous online survey that captured
their thoughts about the initial tutorial
meeting, where they completed the
Individual Learning Plan with the teacher
and discussed any early signs of
concerns. Students were interviewed in
week 16 of an 18-week semester. I asked
questions related to the individual tutorial
meetings they had across the semester.
All 13 students completed the survey and
attended the interview.
Findings related to the value of
the tutorial meetings
Before the first tutorial meeting, the
teachers were asked for their thoughts on
the likely value of such meetings:
I think we need to talk to students on
one to one basis to see how they are
coping so far in order to make sure
they aren't behind in any way. By
doing so, we can identify issues that
might affect their study and help
them with strategies to stay on track.
This will also allow the students to
see any obstacles in their way that
interrupt their study. [T1]
…a chance to look at the individual
student and ask them how you learn.
That way, we get the information
from them; they then reflect on how
they learn themselves. Then we can
develop a learning habit with them,
which helps them through their life.
[T2]
In the second interview after the tutorial
meetings, both teachers indicated the
importance of having individual sessions
based on the feedback they received from
students:
Students found it good that we
initiated the meetings, and they were
happy to have more sessions. [T1]
Students mentioned that they would
prefer more follow-ups/meetings to
discuss their progress and ensure
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