Kuwait university students’ perspectives on academic support-seeking and associated factors: a preliminary convergent mixed-methods study

A preliminary mixed-methods study at Kuwait University investigated students' perspectives on academic support-seeking, identifying factors influencing their engagement, attitudes, and barriers. The research aimed to characterize reasons for both seeking and avoiding academic support, using a newly developed questionnaire and convenience sampling.

Why it matters

Understanding student academic support-seeking behaviors is crucial for optimizing educational outcomes and institutional effectiveness. Identifying influencing factors and barriers allows for the development of targeted interventions and resources that enhance student success and retention, contributing to the overall quality and reputation of higher education institutions.

Key insights

• The study focuses on understanding academic support-seeking engagement and its related constructs among university students.
• It examines associations between support-seeking engagement and demographic, academic, attitudinal, support-related, and barrier-related factors.
• A key objective was to characterize students’ stated reasons for either seeking or avoiding academic support.
• The research utilized a convergent mixed-methods, cross-sectional design.
• Data was collected using a newly developed 39-item Academic Support-Seeking Questionnaire.
• The study was conducted specifically among Kuwait University students using convenience sampling.

Source

Frontiers in Education — https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/feduc.2026.1915972