Instructor Support in Graduating Students’ Exit Survey Accounts across Philippine Universities

Abstract

Background: Brief exit-survey appraisals may indicate whether graduates perceived instructors as accommodating or helpful without specifying the assistance described. Objective: This study characterised the forms, encounter characteristics, and explanatory specificity of instructor support in graduating students’ accounts from nine Philippine universities. Methods: A qualitative descriptive secondary analysis examined 2,136 records from a voluntary-response survey conducted in 2024. Challenge explanations provided context, while assistance explanations and binary appraisals were examined through hybrid deductive–inductive content analysis informed by social support theory. Results: Among 2,135 valid binary appraisals, 1,962 (91.9%) were affirmative. Frequently coded challenge topics included stress or emotional distress (481), financial issues (407), and online learning (372). Assistance categories included instruction or guidance (418), socioemotional support (321), responsiveness (315), flexibility (218), and procedural help (161); 237 records mentioned non-specific assistance. Among affirmative appraisals, 1,164 (59.3%) identified no concern, while 427 (21.8%) lacked sufficient detail, mentioned context without an assistance action, or contained non-experiential information. Student initiation was mentioned in 268 records, instructor initiation in 100, and 27 affirmative appraisals also contained negative-encounter content. Conclusions: Binary appraisals and narrative explanations capture different aspects of reported instructor support. The findings identify opportunities to test separate questions about concerns, assistance actions, and encounter initiation, but they do not establish whether support was received or effective.