Student academic help-seeking in higher education: Insights from Bronfenbrenner’s systems

The academic success of students is influenced by myriad factors, including their health and well-being, family situation, employment status, and university experience. When a factor threatens the academic success of a student, they often reach out to teaching staff for academic help. In recent years, academic help-seeking in higher education has gained significant research attention. Less explored and understood are the reasons that prompt students to seek academic help. This article explores these factors, repurposing Phase 2 of Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems model to gain insight into the complex challenges students face and contextualise the reasons they provide for academic help-seeking. Survey data were collected from 214 university students studying at one university in Aotearoa New Zealand and analysed using deductive thematic analysis. Our findings showed that students experienced a range of challenges throughout their study, both anticipated and unanticipated, and that they use academic help-seeking as a tool for success-sometimes by requesting advice or extra resources, but most often by requesting extra time, so they can address challenges without deprioritising their studies. We argue that it is important for teaching staff to be aware of the various factors impacting their students, so they can provide proactive and meaningful support. Students described the academic help they received as kindness, and the effect of that kindness as profound. By drawing attention to the complexities that may underlie students’ requests for academic help, we hope to encourage teaching staff to be informed and compassionate in their response.