Help-seeking among students: Are lecturers seen as a potential source of help?

The rise in student numbers at UK higher education institutions in recent years has led to increasing uncertainty among academic staff about the role they should play in relation to students with problems. One way of addressing uncertainties of this sort is to clarify the expectations of the various constituencies involved. Certainly academic staff are seen by their employers as one component of the helping networks that operate within their institution. But what about students? Do they see lecturers as a source of help outside of the classroom? The study reported here is a repertory grid investigation of students' preparedness to approach academic staff for help with problems. The findings suggest that students both expect and want their lecturers to be a source of help.