Alternation 18,2 (2011) 78 - 95 ISSN 1023-1757 78 Engineering Students’ Experiences of Social Learning Spaces in Chemistry Supplemental Instruction Sessions Vino Paideya Abstract Over the past three years, Supplemental Instruction (SI) has been introduced to the first year engineering and mainstream chemistry students at the University of KwaZulu-Natal as part of the ‘Throughput in Engineering Sciences (TIES)’ programme. SI is a student academic assistance programme providing regularly scheduled sessions for high risk courses. This programme aims to improve the throughput of the engineering and science students with the aid of support programmes for first year students designed on collaborative learning principles. Often, working in teams, students gain professional experiences that are designed to aid the transition to professional employment, building confidence, generic skills and capability in the discipline. This paper focuses on engineering students’ experiences of the social learning spaces created in chemistry SI sessions. Data was collected using video-recordings of SI sessions, individual interviews and focus group interviews with students. Data was analysed using social constructivism as an analytical framework as it is the intention of this paper to understand students’ experiences of the SI social learning spaces. The data reveals that engineering students experienced chemistry SI as discursive learning spaces offering opportunities for discussion, for reflection and meaning making, motivating students to take responsibility for their learning. It is argued therefore, that the social learning spaces created during the SI intervention session have the potential to develop independent lifelong learners in chemistry. Keywords: social learning spaces, collaborative learning, chemistry Supplemental Instruction