ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Med.
Sec. Healthcare Professions Education
Volume 12 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fmed.2025.1660132
An Exploratory Study of Students' Perceptions of Advice and Support Services in a Science University
Provisionally accepted
- King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
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This exploratory qualitative study investigates the experiences of health sciences students with academic advising in an English as a Medium of Instruction (EMI) context. Through virtual semi-structured interviews with four students, the study identifies preliminary themes: limited accessibility of support services, the need for personalized advising, cultural and language influences, and the role of technology in academic support. Students expressed a preference for discussing complex issues in their native Arabic language, highlighting the importance of linguistic and cultural sensitivity. While AI-based advising tools improve accessibility, participants emphasized the irreplaceable value of human-centered, empathetic guidance. Given the small sample size, the findings do not claim generalizability or thematic saturation but are intended to offer early, exploratory insights that may inform future research. The study recommends blended advising models that integrate technology with personalized support and calls for culturally responsive advisor training to enhance student satisfaction and success.
Keywords: College education, higher education, Education quality, Student perception, student satisfaction
Received: 05 Jul 2025; Accepted: 06 Aug 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Althewini. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Abdulaziz Althewini, King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.