Doctoral Dissertations

Date of Award

12-1984

Degree Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy

Major

Education

Major Professor

Anne McIntyre

Committee Members

Schuyler W. Huck, Paula Matuszek, Richard A. Saudargas

Abstract

Children teaching children has proven to be a successful way to help children with academic lags. In reviews of the research on peer-tutoring by Gerber and Kauffman (1981) and Feldman, Devin-Sheehan, and Allen (1976) it was concluded that peer-tutoring has been demonstrated to be a technique that may provide educational benefits to both the tutor and the tutee. Despite the apparent effectiveness of peer-tutoring it cannot be considered to be a free resource because someone must take the time and energy to set up and coordinate such a program.

This research offered one solution to the problem of reallocating existing school resources to train tutors. It was hypothesized that parents can be utilized to implement and coordinate peer-tutoring programs in schools; a procedure was offered in the form of a Handbook.

Study One described the process of a parent setting up a peer-tutoring program. Study Two evaluated the outcome for the tutors and tutees.

The results of the case study do not support the hypothesis that a parent-volunteer can set up and coordinate a peer-tutoring program, even when circumstances appear to be favorable. Such a program can fail due to unforeseen problems such as illness, and due to issues related to: volunteer versus family commitment, volunteer versus salary commitment, and school system activities. On the basis of this case study, it appears that: one, more than one parent-volunteer would be necessary to insure consistent coordination, and two, issues of volunteer commitment and system activities need to be dealt with in advance of the program.

Study Two was a pretest-posttest experimental design; seven S's were in mathematics tutorial, and six in spelling. Results failed to show significant treatment effects. Since Study Two was part of a larger research focus, it was possible to determine that the treatment was not administered, rather than that the treatment was impotent. Question is raised as to how this determination can be made in experimental studies when observation is not included in the procedures.

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