The perceptions of mature aged dental assisting students on the quality of support services offered : a higher education case study

Abstract

In the new democratic South Africa, access into higher education institutions for a diverse range of students is a national imperative. As a result, educational institutions have implemented new policies, regulations and practices, which allow for alternate access into institutions. This study, was based at the Durban University of Technology (DUT) and investigated the perceptions and experiences of mature age students with regard to the quality of support services offered. Mature age students are a growing population who experience unique desires and challenges in higher education institutions. While studies around higher education institutions currently focus on traditional students and their experiences, it is important to gain a deeper understanding of the experiences and needs of mature learners in order to develop the literature in this important area. Having qualified as a dental assistant and now working in the Dental Sciences department, I find myself attending to a variety of requests from the mature age dental assistants. This motivated me to investigate the quality of support services offered to mature age part-time dental assistants. The main objectives of this study are to determine which support services are currently being offered, how students feel about the quality of service delivery and what the university is doing to address any gaps found within the service delivery units. The researcher will undertake an in-depth qualitative study, using a descriptive case study approach. The aim of this study is to interpret the perceptions of mature age dental assisting part-time students with regard to the quality of support offered to them at the Durban University of Technology. The researcher will undertake an in-depth, qualitative case study involving 30 mature-age dental assisting part-time students in order to obtain their perceptions of the quality of support services offered to them. This study provides a ‘snapshot’ of the current provision of service quality at the Durban University of Technology. It also offers suggestions that could be implemented to improve service quality, given the limited resources available to management. Due to the dynamic nature of service quality, it is essential to conduct further research to build on this study in order to ensure that the university remains competitive in the increasingly turbulent environment of higher education. This study will assist in developing a comprehensive recommendation to the programme of Dental Assisting, so as to retain and support mature age students who enter university via recognition of prior learning (RPL).