PEER TUTORING IN UNIVERSITY GUIDANCE. THE CASE OF THE BAT PROGRAMME IN THE DEGREES IN PEDAGOGY AND SOCIAL EDUCATION AT THE UNIVERSITY OF THE BASQUE COUNTRY

Abstract

The Peer Tutoring Programme (BAT) began to be implemented during the 2022-23 academic year in the Bachelor's Degrees in Pedagogy and Social Education at the University of the Basque Country. It is part of the tutoring modality within the area of university guidance. The programme aims to respond to students’ needs and questions through a counselling process between veteran students and new students. The objectives of the study are: 1) to value the implementation of the BAT programme within the Bachelor's Degrees in Pedagogy and Social Education, and 2) to analyze the impact on the first-year students and on the student-tutors.

Taking into account the methodological aspects, this is an interpretative research project based on a Case Study. The perceptions of first-year students and tutors were collected using different tools: satisfaction surveys, interviews and discussion groups. The analytical procedure was based on categorical analysis. The results show that it has been a mutual learning process: the first-year students underline that it has made it easier for them to resolve doubts about how the university works, as well as to get rid of fears about their professional future. The student tutors, on the other hand, felt it helped them to gain confidence in themselves as trainers, to improve their communication and information-seeking skills and to be engaged in the learning of their peers. In conclusion, it is highly recommended that the faculty and the degrees involved continue to support the continuity and improvement of this programme.