Students’ Perceptions of Supplemental Instruction

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to determine students’ perceptions of Supplemental Instruction (SI) for a soil science course. All students enrolled in the course for the two semesters that SI was offered completed the survey. All participants (n = 74) answered the first portion of the survey, then skip logic was utilized to tailor questions for both those who did and those who did not attend SI. The researcher developed survey data revealed that students thought SI was encouraged, well publicized, and beneficial for students who wanted to perform better in the course. Students who attended SI identified understanding/reviewing material as the main reason for attending SI. Students would encourage others to attend SI. The principal barrier for those who did not attend SI was due to other obligations at the time the SI sessions were offered. Recommendations for practice are to continue offering SI sessions for Soil Science, but to offer more sessions at a variety of times to try to avoid schedule conflicts for students who want to attend.