Determinant aspects of university tutoring. A comparative study

Abstract

Universities around the world are launching different guidance and support programs for undergraduate students. To analyze this phenomenon, we propose a comprehensive study of the tutoring methods of a Spanish and an Argentinian university. A Likert-type scale has been designed and validated for this purpose, taking into consideration the students' gender, the university of study, and the participation (or lack thereof) in the Tutorial Action Plan (TAP). A total of 866 students (314 men and 552 women) have been involved in this study. The results indicate a good assessment of the aspects related to the TAP and the tutoring service and show no significant differences in the male and female students' perceptions of the programs. There is a notable distinction, however, in the results obtained by each university, noting a very positive assessment of the Argentinian university's TAP. Interestingly, this trend was reversed when assessing the use of ICT in both institutions. The study concludes that participation in the TAP makes tutoring more effective.