The educational relationship: a key factor in tutorial interaction (TI) in higher education

Abstract

In recent decades, among other reasons, as an adaptation to the postulates of the Bologna Declaration, there has been an adaptation of Tutorial Interaction (TI) in Higher Education, but how much progress has been made? The work we present here is part of a PhD dissertation that has dealt with TI at the Faculty of Education in the University of the Basque Country, in Bilbao. We focus specifically on the study of the educational relationship established between teachers and students within the TI, addressing the elements that facilitate and hinder it, to provide some ideas for improvement. We have used a qualitative methodology that has allowed us to gain in-depth knowledge of the reasons for certain perceptions, behaviors, etc., within this context of interaction. The instruments used to collect information were in-depth interviews (3 with students and 9 with teachers) and the Focus Groups (43 students). Among the results found, it is worth highlighting that: although TI extends beyond the classroom, the interaction established in the classroom determines it completely; the participants also talked about some desirable characteristics on the part of the teaching staff for interaction to take place and therefore for quality TI to happen, including: empathy, accessibility, trust, sensitivity and active listening.