I chose this project because I had the opportunity to apply the theory that we learned and put it into practice. I had the opportunity to investigate the student-tutor relationship and I think I did this successfully in this project so the research data that I obtained can be used either as a starting point for further research or for information.
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ADED 6491 EXPLORATORY CASE STUDY
THE SUCCESS OF THE STUDENT – TUTOR RELATIONSHIP FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF THE STUDENT
Introduction/Rationale
This case study explores the ways in which learning is enabled in the student-tutor relationship from the perspective of the student. The decision for this study came from my reflections that relate to the anecdotal feedback from students who have worked with a tutor over the years I have been a basic skills instructor. My reflections have led me to believe there is a level of expectation and satisfaction on the part of the student regarding his or her relationship with a tutor. The anecdotal evidence from the students and the literature review that relates to this case study indicates there are a variety of characteristics that make the student-tutor relationship successful thereby helping the student make progress toward their academic goals.
I conducted a pilot case study with one of my students who has been working with a tutor since January. Since he has expressed great satisfaction to me regarding his progress and how his working relationship with the tutor has contributed significantly to this progress, I decided to research exactly what it is about the student-tutor relationship that worked for him. I interviewed the student using a standard set of questions that I created for this project that contains a series of questions about the role a tutor plays in the learning process for the student. The results of this pilot case study has confirmed the importance of the relationship between the student and tutor as well as identifying some of the barriers to achieving a successful working relationship.
Methodology
I interviewed the student using a standard set of questions that I created after reading and reviewing a number of articles that relate to the student-tutor relationship and after my observation of the student and tutor working together. I observed the student working with his tutor for a period of approximately ten minutes. I did not tell the student or the tutor that I would be observing their interaction ahead of time because I thought if they were aware of what I was doing their natural interaction would be compromised. This method will be repeatable in the future if a complete study is carried out.
Context
I currently teach basic skills (reading, writing, and math) for Wake Technical Community College in Raleigh. The student who is the subject of this case study is a student in one of my classes. He is an African American male, approximately 35 years old. He has been a City of Raleigh employee for about 5 years. In January I assessed his reading level to be at around the 6th grade. It was unclear to me what Leon’s reading problem was. Did he need help with comprehension skills? Was his vocabulary limited so he could not understand what he was reading? Or, did he have trouble with fluency? I engaged him in several activities to help with comprehension, vocabulary building and fluency. I realized that for Leon to work alone, was not helping him make progress. He needed someone to guide him as he read, in particular helping him with his focus and comprehension. Because of the number of students in the class I could not give this student much one on one time to help him with his reading therefore I offered to set him up with a tutor who could work with him to build up his reading skills. Instead of continuing to rely on anecdotal evidence I decided to study Leon’s relationship with his tutor by interviewing and observing him to determine what it is about his tutor-student relationship that is making it successful.
My pilot case study and observations occurred in the Pullen Community Center where I have my basic skills classrooms. I have use of 3 rooms. One room has been assigned for tutors and students to work together or for students taking tests. Another room is a computer lab where students work with the online GED program and Reading Horizons for pre-GED level students. Leon has worked on the computer with the Reading Horizons program and was not feeling successful in part because he does not have the skills necessary to use the computer effectively and was not open to learning how to navigate his way around the computer.
Review of the Literature
It is evident from the review of the literature that the success of the student-tutor relationship lies in the support the tutor provides for the student. But what exactly is the support the tutor provides that benefits the student?
The tutor role is distinctly different than the “teacher’s” role in that even though the tutor is teaching, the primary role of the tutor is to facilitate the learning of the student in either a small group or one on one setting. The teacher is responsible for the management of the classroom and the students. Tutors, it seems, have a strong commitment to their role, but a general confusion as to what their role is (Earmaker, 2002). Sometimes the relationship between student and tutor can be so strong that the tutor is the first person who the student goes to for help. This help sometimes goes beyond the realm of the academic assistance that is being provided and extends to the student’s personal life crises.
Some tutors are more approachable than others. They are reluctant to be drawn into the personal lives of their students but find it cannot be avoided because these problems often interfere with the student’s ability to commit to learning. Tutors sometimes admit they are over whelmed by the scale and severity of the problems that are sometimes brought to them (Earmaker, 2002). In the literature I reviewed, tutors generally express anxiety about this part of their work. Because of this type of involvement, tutors often feel inadequate to provide their students with the help they need even though they have good intentions.
Tutors often do not have a clear sense of how they can help their student learn. They are coming with good intentions but because of their lack of experience, they may feel they don’t have the knowledge of the subject matter the student needs help with.
Students are particularly appreciative toward a tutor who is prepared and genuinely cares for the student. An excellent tutoring relationship helps a student gain confidence in their abilities thereby motivating the student to continue learning.
Ultimately, not all tutor-student relationships are positive. However, studying this relationship provides insight into what students want their tutors to know about what will work for the student. Most students feel it is important for the tutor and student to know each other and like each other. In some of the literature I reviewed, students felt it was important for the tutor to make learning interesting, use a variety of materials and to let the student set the pace for learning (Chamberlain, 2000). Although students are concerned that the tutor know the subject matter, they seemed to be more concerned about these other issues.
Building a good relationship with the student is the primary tactic for being successful. Students often think that tutors are the experts by virtue of the fact they are tutors. The tutor, often thinks what the student knows is insufficient in the area the student is looking for assistance otherwise why would the student be seeking help. The interaction of the tutor and student demands they coordinate their efforts but often this effort fails because the student is not able to articulate to the tutor what he/she needs from their interaction (Munger, 1996). This lack of communication is sometimes due to the fact the student does not have the knowledge to know what it is they don’t know or they do not have the words to express their need or they do not feel the relationship with the tutor is such that they can ask for what they need or determine that their need is not being me.
Questions play an important role in the interaction between a student and tutor (Munger, 1996). Questions are prompted by a student’s uncertainty, doubt and lack of knowledge. Something needs further clarification. Questions are a speech choice that reveals power in the relationship (Munger, 1996). Questions establish the expert-novice relationship thereby putting the student in a subordinating position. When the tutor asks the questions, it is in effect a request from the tutor to elicit a request for knowledge from the student. Some questions the tutor asks the student are intended to help set an agenda thereby building a relationship of good intention on the part of the tutor. Questions by both the student and the tutor help to build the relationship they are continually establishing by providing the opportunity for both parties to understand each other fully.
When the tutor is similar in age to the student it appears there is not as good a rapport as in a case where the student is much younger than the tutor. The gender of the tutor does not appear to be significant (Earwaker, 2002). The factors that appear to be the most significant in establishing a good relationship is the attitude of the tutor towards the student. Even though the student is in what might be considered a subordinate role, the relationship should be in the context of mutual respect and equality for maximum learning to take place.
From the literature review I conducted regarding the student-tutor relationship, I decided to focus this pilot case study on what my student’s opinion is regarding the relationship he has with his tutor. I wanted to find out what he thinks makes a good relationship and what the issues are that hinder the relationship and impede learning.
Observation
I observed the student and his tutor several weeks ago during the regular class period. I observed from a distance of approximately 30 feet so I would not interfere with how they interacted with one another. I did not tell the student or his tutor beforehand I would be observing their interactions because I was afraid that it would create an artificial environment for them if they knew I was observing. I did, however, tell them at the end of their session that I had observed them for approximately 15 minutes and if I could use my observation for this case study. I observed the student before I interviewed him.
I noticed that the student and his tutor spent about five minutes at the beginning of their session greeting each other, asking each other how they were doing and just generally small talking about several other things that did not contribute to their working time. I sensed from the way they interacted, they were comfortable with each other, knew some things about each other’s personal lives and were genuinely happy to see each other.
After several minutes of catching up, they settled in and began their session. The student had already retrieved several copies of the book, “Contemporary’s pre-GED Language Arts/Reading”. This is the book I have assigned the student to use to learn and practice reading strategies. The student read from his copy and the tutor followed along in her own copy. The tutor sat beside the student at a card table sized table. The tutor asked him if he remembered where they had left off the previous week and he recalled they had left off at the beginning of a chapter called, “Context Clues”. She asked the student to read the lesson out loud and she would listen. The tutor corrected him several times by asking him to stop and look at the word again to see if he had pronounced it correctly. She helped him sound out words and sometimes explained the meaning of a word. I did not see that they had any reference material on the table such as a dictionary or a thesaurus. At the end of a reading passage, the tutor asked the student to try to understand the meaning of the passage by looking at several phrases and how the words were being used in the sentence or paragraph. It appeared that several times, the student could not find the right words to express what he wanted to say. The tutor prompted him by telling him a word he could use. He commented once that he enjoyed reading out loud because he could hear the way the words sounded and it seemed to make more sense to him than when he read the words to himself. I stopped observing because I had other students who needed my attention and I did not want to interfere with the session by them noticing me watching.
I also saw that during the duration of my observation the tone of voice the tutor used was gentle but firm. She corrected the student when he made a mistake but did it in such a way that it was not demeaning to him. She was very clear and concise regarding word pronunciation and not letting him progress further until he understood a word or phrase he was having trouble with. This involved re-reading the passage over more than once on occasion. Even though this struck me as being tedious, it seemed to work because he indicated to the tutor it helped him understand the rest of the passage if he knew the information he needed to know before he got to the next word or paragraph.
I also noticed when she corrected the student, she didn’t use phrases like, “No, that’s not right,” or “You’ve made a mistake,” she would say things like, “Try again,” or “Are you sure that’s what it says or means?” This approach struck me as being a kinder way of approaching a mistake as opposed to the former, which sounded to me more like a somewhat harsher criticism.
Results and Analyses
The result of this exploratory case study confirms the importance of a good student-tutor relationship in order for the student to make progress. I observed that the student and his tutor seemed to genuinely care about each other. This was evidenced by the way they showed interest in each other’s personal lives before they began working together. They also both smiled and greeted each other warmly. According to statements made during our interview, the tutor spent time trying to get to know the student at the beginning of their first session. She seemed to not get too personal but was just genuinely interested in finding out some general information about who she would be working with. This enabled the student to begin to trust the tutor and allowed her to get to understand some things about the student such as whether he was nervous, whether he was friendly or antagonistic, etc. During my observation and the way the student responded during our interview, I noted the tutor did not ask the student questions that were too personal. The interaction struck me as being the type you would see between two colleagues who know each fairly well, but do not delve into each other’s problems and personal issues too much.
The student indicated a high degree of satisfaction during our interview with the way the tutor is helping him learn. When asked what makes working with his tutor comfortable, he responded that she didn’t criticize him when he made mistakes. She just tells him how to say the word correctly or helps him understand a passage without being critical of his attempts. I also observed the tutor would use what I interpreted to be a kind and gentle voice when she corrected his mistakes.
The student indicated during our interview that he wished he could spend more time with his tutor. Since they only met once a week for two hours, he preferred several more times a week for the same amount of time. I interpreted his comment regarding this to mean that if he spent more time with her he would be able to make more progress. I did however, ask him why he didn’t feel like he could work on his own and he shared that he had other things that distract him from focusing on working on his own and that setting aside time with a tutor would force him to reset his priorities. I felt this might indicate a relationship that is somewhat too dependent on the tutor and if conducting follow-up research, I would investigate this further to find out if there is a point at which a student becomes too dependent on their tutor for motivation.
I noticed the tutor did not give the student advice regarding what material they should use or how they should use it. I interpreted this as a way of letting him remain independent and having the freedom and to decide what he needed to work on. She also did not offer any supplementary material. I’m not sure if this is because she didn’t think it was her place to do that and then she would become more involved in setting goals with the student or if she didn’t have anything else to offer or if she wasn’t interested. This is another area I would investigate further in a follow up study.
The tutor has also spent time showing the student how to use reference material such as a dictionary and thesaurus. Although I didn’t observe them using these, according to our interview, they have used these in the past. I interpreted this as a way the student would not become a dependent learner. Several times during my observation, I noticed the tutor explaining to the student what a word meant or the meaning of a passage when he couldn’t understand it himself. I thought this indicated that the tutor was not rigid and was willing to give the student the answer sometimes to make it easier for him. I think this type of interaction might contribute to the student becoming dependent on the tutor to provide them with the information he needs as opposed to enabling him to become independent and more comfortable using reference material on their own. But I also viewed this as a way of not allowing the student to become overwhelmed and discouraged if there was something he just didn’t understand after trying to learn it on his own. This might contribute to why the student does not work on his own without a tutor. He may not feel confident enough in his own ability.
When asked if there was anything the student didn’t like about working with a tutor, he indicated that, “As long as she treat me with respect, I think we’ll keep workin’ on it.” I took this to mean that being treated with respect was the highest priority for him when working with his tutor, more than the type of material they used or the amount of time they spent together. I asked him if this was the case and he indicated that respect was the main thing.
I also asked him how he felt he was making progress and he indicated he felt that he was reading better than he had been. He felt like he was making progress because he knew when he made a mistake because she would tell him and explain things to him when he didn’t understand. If he didn’t have a tutor, he would be left with his own lack of knowledge to try to figure things out. In other words, he wouldn’t have support right there beside him helping him work it out.
The results of this case study confirm the importance of the relationship between a student and tutor as well as identifying some of the barriers to achieving success. I would recommend further work in this area to prioritize the characteristics that make the student-tutor relationship work to ensure the student is achieving their goals. I would change the methodology to using a survey if multiple students are being studied because it would seem to be a more efficient way of gathering data as opposed to interviewing numerous students.
I would also include the tutor’s perspective. For the purpose of this assignment I wanted to focus my attention on the student but I realize now that the tutor can provide valuable insight regarding her role and perspective.
REFERENCES
Chamberlain, A. (2000, October). What We Would Like Our Tutors to Know. New York County Literacy Council.
Earwaker, J. (2002). Helping and Supporting Students. Rethinking the Issues. Bristol, PA: Taylor and Francis.
Jacobsen Center for Service and Learning. (2000). Building Successful Student Tutor Relationships. Provo, UT: Brigham Young University.
Munger, R. (1996). Asymmetries of Knowledge: What Tutor-Student Interactions Tell Us about Expertise. (pp. 1-15, Rep.). Milwaukee, WI: Annual Meeting of the Conference on College Composition and Communication. (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. A unique accession number assigned to each record in the database; also referred to as ERIC Document Number (ED Number) and ERIC Journal Number (EJ Number). ED398580)
