Academic voices and the challenges of tutoring

This paper describes grounded theory research conducted amongst postregistration learners completing an undergraduate programme in nursing studies by distance learning at a UK higher education institute. The focus of enquiry was upon student support and learning. Research was conducted between 1996 and 2001 and included 41 interviews with students, 22 interviews with tutors, 24 tutorial observations and 69 field observations conducted within the distance learning centre. A key theme developing within the research was the use of ‘academic voices’ by students to help manage their support relationship with tutors. Academic voices describe the ways in which students asked for helped and admitted the tutor in varying degrees to their learning. Students adopted a ‘voice’ that they believed enabled them to manage learning and to determine just what sorts of help the tutor would be permitted to supply. The paper discusses the implications of the use of academic voices’ by students for the support work of tutors.