Participating Students’ Support for the Program

4.2.1 Participating Students’ Support for the Program

This section begins with an analysis of data from the 2015 student survey. Quantitative and qualitative data gathered in response to Statements 2, 3 and 15 of the 2015 student survey, and to similar statements in the 2015 parent/caregiver and AcAd surveys

23 _{The parents were identified on the paper survey they completed, but student data were de-identified} prior to the analysis process began as a way of assuring them that their comments would not have an impact on my perception of them as individuals. The focus of the research was the students’ perception of the program, not their individual performance in the program. Any references to names of teachers or AcAds were deleted from these data.

competed in 2015 and 2016, are analysed here (the surveys are presented in Appendix B). Other relevant qualitative data gathered from students, parents/caregivers and AcAds are also presented in this section. Statements 1 and 2 of the student survey were designed to gauge participating students’ perceived level of benefit from, and their level of comfort with, the AcAd Program. Statement 14 of the survey was included as a means of testing the reliability of responses to Statements 1 and 2. Quantitative data provided in response to these statements are provided in Table 4.1.

Table 4.1 Students’ level of agreement with statements about the AcAd Program

Statement from the student survey

No. of responses Mean score Strongly disagree Disagree Cannot say Agree Strongly agree 1. I believe I am generally benefiting from the AcAd Program. 36 4.44 0% 0% 11.11% 33.33% 55.56% 2. I generally look forward to meeting my AcAd. 36 4.31 0% 5.56% 11.11% 30.56% 52.78% 14. I believe some of my friends could benefit from the AcAd Program.

36 4.14 2.78% 5.56% 13.89% 30.56% 47.22%

These quantitative data, with mean scores between ‘Agree’ (4) and ‘Strongly Agree’ (5), indicate that this sample group of students generally supported the AcAd Program. More than 88 per cent of students agreed or strongly agreed with the statement that they were benefiting from the program, while over 81 per cent of students agreed or strongly agreed that they looked forward to meeting their AcAd. These positive responses to Statements 1 and 2 were corroborated by the responses to Statement 14, as over 77 per cent of the sample group of students agreed or strongly agreed that they believed their friends could benefit from the AcAd Program.

Qualitative data from written responses to Statements 1, 2 and 14 also indicated a strong level of support from this sample of students. Twelve respondents provided additional written comments in response to these statements. Comments written in response to Statement 1, such as the statements by Student 4 that ‘The Academic Advisor Programme

is very beneficial and has helped me a lot’, and by Student 20, who stated that ‘I have benefited so much from my AcAd this year and have definitely improved my school work because of it’ were taken as affirmations rather than elaborations on their quantified responses. The following sub-sections provide evidence that data provided in elaborating statements, from written responses to open-ended questions in the student survey, as well as from student structured focus groups, individual semi-structured interviews, and the open-ended survey of students who had been in the program for more than two years, also reinforced this message. Participating students often referred to their relationship with their AcAds, as well as a range of specific benefits from their participation. These, together with elaborations to other survey items, are thematically analysed in Sections 4.2.3 to 4.2.10.

The parent/caregiver survey asked parents/caregivers to respond to a statement about their perceptions of their child’s attitude to the program, are shown in Table 4.2. These data are included for the purpose of triangulation.

Table 4.2 Parents’/caregivers’ quantitative responses to Statement 2 of the parent/caregiver survey: ‘My child is generally positive about the program.’

Number of responses Mean score Strongly disagree Disagree Cannot say Agree Strongly agree 36 4.58 0% 2.8% 8.3% 19.5% 69.4%

Over 88 per cent of the parent/caregiver sample agreed or strongly agreed with the statement. Parent/caregiver responses indicated that they saw evidence – perhaps through conversations at home – that most of their children were positive about the program. Parents/caregivers’ additional comments included: ‘[Name of student] has a great relationship with her AcAd and feels genuine support’ (Parent 4), ‘She talks a lot about her meeting with AcAd’ (Parent 14) and ‘She believes the program has been of great benefit to her’ (Parent 15). One parent whose child withdrew from the program at the end of 2015 provided a different response: ‘Quite negative about the program. Wanted to learn study strategies, but never eventuated. Likes her AcAd though’ (Parent 3). Comments relating to these and other themes are analysed in the appropriate sections of this chapter. AcAds were also asked to provide their views regarding the students’ attitude to the program through their quantitative responses to survey statements, elaborations on those

responses and responses to open-ended questions. Quantitative data are shown in Table 4.3

Table 4.3 Quantitative responses to Statement 2 of the AcAd survey: ‘The students are generally positive about the program.’

Number of responses

Mean score Strongly disagree Disagree Cannot say Agree Strongly agree 10 4.80 0% 0% 0% 20.0% 80.0%

All the AcAds either agreed or strongly agreed with the statement when they completed the survey. The reader is reminded that the AcAds survey referred to all students in the program, and not just those in the sample.

Two AcAds (AcAds 3 and 7) acknowledged the problem identified by many students who complained about missing class to attend their AcAd meetings. One AcAd (AcAd 6) also noted that the level of enthusiasm diminished when students moved into their final year at school, possibly because they became more concerned about missing classes to attend AcAd meetings.

One final comment from an AcAd sheds light on the issue of students’ attitude to the program:

The students I have worked with are positive about the program (CLal), although more than 50% indicated they were in the program at their parents’ behest, they are working well and engaging with the subject matter (CLal) we cover. (AcAd 10)

The structured student focus groups also provided data to explain who decided to enrol the student in the AcAd Program. The twenty participants were asked, ‘Whose decision was it to involve you in the AcAd Program?’ Analysis of these data revealed that over two-thirds of that group stated the decision to get involved in the program was made jointly between them and their parents/caregivers. No student indicated a reluctance to participate, although some of the data from the AcAd survey (see discussion in Section 4.4) cast doubt on this conclusion.

Data analysis indicated that students and their parents/caregivers were generally positive about the program, although a small number of students felt they were given little choice by their parents/caregivers. Data from a 2015 focus group shed light on who decided that the student would join the program. The following responses came from two students in the early years of secondary school:

Interviewer: And, was it your decision or your parents’ decision? Do you remember?

Focus group 1; Student 2: I remember getting an email about it and I thought that would be pretty cool and then my parents brought it back up and said that would be a pretty good idea. The feeling was really mutual but I didn’t really think much of it. And I just did it.

Interviewer: So, mutual for you. S1?

Focus group 1; Student 1: Yeah. I remember we got a letter and we took a look at it and decided it was worth giving it a go, so …

Other data from students, parents/caregivers and AcAds indicated that students generally became more positive as they experienced various benefits from their participation. It is important to note that the bulk of these student data were collected either in the latter stages of the 2015 and 2016 academic years, or from students who had been in the program for two or more years at the time they were surveyed in 2017.

4.2.2 Students’ Perceived Need for a Program to Improve Self-regulation and