Assessment in guidance and tutoring activities in higher education. A qualitative study with experts
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.7346/sird-012026-p09Keywords:
Guidance, Tutoring, Assessment, Appreciative inquiry, Higher EducationAbstract
Educational and career guidance and tutoring (G/T) represent key strategies in higher education, yet their effectiveness
also depends on the quality of the assessment processes that accompany them. This contribution aims to explore and
discuss a model for evaluating G/T programs grounded in four dimensions – continuity, formative value, participation,
and plurality – articulated within a pedagogical, participatory, and educationforjustice
perspective. From an empirical
standpoint, the study examines how these dimensions are interpreted and considered relevant by field experts. To this
end, semistructured
interviews were conducted with a purposive sample of six key informants working in university
guidance and tutoring (counsellors/tutors, service coordinators, and expert scholars). Data were analysed using a Structured
Tabular Thematic Approach (STTA),
integrating pedagogical perspectives and Appreciative Inquiry in order to capture
both recurring themes and the transformative dimensions of evaluation processes. The findings reveal a significant
convergence between experts’ representations and the theoretical dimensions of the proposed model, confirming the
role of evaluation as a continuous, dialogic, and improvementoriented
process. However, several obstacles to assessment
in G/T also emerge, particularly related to the difficulty of translating these principles into systematic practices
within academic contexts, while managing both material and symbolic constraints. The study’s original contribution lies
in providing empirical support for a model of assessment specifically tailored to guidance and tutoring in higher education,
highlighting its potential and the conditions for its implementation from an operational, formative, participatory,
and inclusive perspective.
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Copyright (c) 2026 Lorenza Da Re, Roberta Bonelli, Federica Pasqual, Debora Aquario
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