Do support services provided in distance education context matter in trainee teacher performance?

The quest to investigate the role of support services (SS) in trainee teacher performance for education programmes (EP) provided via distance education (DE) prior to this paper remained inconclusive. This paper demystifies the challenge by examining the impact of SS quality for both trainee teachers and tutors on learning outcomes, addressing two research questions: (i) the influence of the input variable on the output variable, and (ii) the predictive potential of SS in performance discourses. A hypothesis was also tested to determine outcome differences based on respondents’ sex. Using multi-stage sampling procedures, 329 tutors and 397 students were selected to respond to questionnaires and lesson observation sheets, following an explanatory design from a nationally recognized DE provider. Data were analyzed using the Pearson correlation coefficient, independent samples t-test, and multiple linear regression. Three key findings emerged: (i) SS quality for trainee teachers and tutors positively relates to performance, (ii) a statistically significant difference exists between trainee teacher SS quality and performance based on sex, and (iii) 39% of the variation in trainee teacher performance is predicted by SS received, while tutor SS predicts 15%. These conclusions suggest a strong connection between SS and trainee teacher performance. Consistent with these findings, it is recommended that the DE service provider implement SS that meets the instructional needs of trainee teachers to enhance learning outcomes. Institutions in similar contexts can leverage these findings to review and redesign their education programmes to achieve optimal performance outcomes among teacher trainees. © 2024 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.