Counselling, Mentorship, and Self-Regulated Learning in Public Speaking Education for Working Undergraduate Students: A Qualitative Case Study
Abstract
Working undergraduate students frequently encounter difficulties in attending regular university classes because of employment responsibilities and demanding academic workloads. This qualitative case study investigated how counselling, mentorship, and structured self-directed learning supported the learning experiences of five final-semester undergraduate students enrolled in a three-credit Public Speaking course at a private university in Bangladesh. Over a five- to six-month semester, students participated in weekly 45-minute counselling sessions that included guided discussions, textbook summaries, assignment reviews, quizzes, presentation practice, individualized feedback, and preparation for class tests and examinations. Multiple sources of qualitative data, including counselling records, attendance sheets, homework, assignments, PowerPoint presentations, quizzes, reflective messages, instructor field notes, and course documents, were analyzed using Braun and Clarke’s (2022) thematic analysis. Four major themes emerged: the development of self-regulated learning, enhanced motivation through mentorship, sustained engagement through flexible learning, and improved public speaking competence. The findings indicate that structured counselling enabled working students to balance employment and academic responsibilities while maintaining active participation in course activities. Continuous mentoring, formative assessment, and personalized feedback promoted learner autonomy, confidence, and responsibility for learning. The study demonstrates that counselling-based self-study can provide an effective instructional alternative for working university students in communication-oriented courses and offers practical implications for higher education institutions seeking to implement inclusive and flexible learning support systems.
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