Teaching Assistants (TAs) for Enhancing Students Soft Skills: A Private University Scenario

Abstract

In the developed countries around the world, for helping both the teachers and students in academia, the concept of Teaching Assistance is a very familiar one. Though this practice is very rare in Bangladeshi context, it prevails in some of the leading private universities. Teaching assistants have to have an interest in education, a patient, non-judgmental attitude because the primary role of the teaching assistant is to work with teachers to raise the learning and attainment of students so that they can access the curriculum, participate in learning and experience a sense of achievement. This paper aimed to find out teachers’ and students’ perceptions about the efficacies and role of Teaching Assistants for developing students’ soft skills at private universities in Bangladesh. 10 teachers and 150 students from one leading private universities had been selected for collecting data. Interview questions for the teachers and survey questionnaire for the students have been used. As a theoretical framework this study used Lev Vygotsky’s theory of Zone of Proximal Development. Teachers’ interview data reflects that TAs can lead to improvements in students’ skills, and they also have positive effects in reducing stress or workload of the teachers. It is also found from students’ responses that the TAs help them in learning and course management. From the findings of the study, it can be recommended that, as the practice of teaching assistance is helping both the teachers and students; other tertiary institutions can incorporate it in their own institutions.