Tutoring has long been recognized as a powerful intervention for improving learning outcomes in K-12 education. I have written about tutoring in several recent posts because a) tutoring provides the basis for my promotion of mastery learning, which is now often implemented with the individualization of progress implemented by the use of technology, and b) because of what I believe is a legitimate but yet untested use of AI tools to provide an alternative to the use of expensive and difficult to arrange human tutoring.
This post was prompted when I encountered a disappointing evaluation of efforts to fund some version of tutoring in response to student struggles during COVID. For those of us interested in the applications of technology in education, the COVID-19 pandemic forced all educators to use technology. Of course, the overall results were problematic with high student absenteeism and lowered rates of educational progress. There is still plenty to explore for academic researchers and historians. Moving on, although typically too expensive, tutoring was supported as a means of compensation. Tutoring, a form of one-on-one instruction, has even been touted as the ideal form of instruction against which the success of other methods can be measured (Bloom, 1984). Again, the expected results did not meet expectations, at least to the extent that past research would have led supporters to expect.
Perhaps COVID and the aftermath, much of which seems political, have resulted in circumstances we must contemplate more broadly. Both educators and researchers must have a tough skin to deal with unrealistic expectations. They can control only what they can control. The best I can do is to focus on the data describing what has proven effective in the past and what experts have to say about what makes present circumstances different and hopefully transitory. The following is my effort to present this case. This post will explore the impressive effects of tutoring, delve into the mechanisms behind its success, and critically examine the factors that may have hindered its effectiveness during the pandemic.
The Impressive Impact of Tutoring
One of the best summaries of tutoring research I have encountered is not a traditional journal article and is therefore written in a less formal style. It is lengthy and does include an analysis of what it calls large-scale tutoring, which represents a way to differentiate the tutoring efforts following COVID and why such efforts are more difficult. The lengthier approach is written more like a book chapter, offering the opportunity to provide readers with a broader understanding rather than relying on what is assumed researchers already know. An analysis of the characteristics that make tutoring effective is useful. The identification of such factors can guide the development other strategies. Another advantage of this source for some is that it is not behind a pay wall.
The meta-analysis by Nickow and colleagues analyzed dozens of preK-12 tutoring experiments, revealing an overall effect size of 0.37 standard deviations on learning outcomes. Effect size might be understood as the degree to which an intervention shifts the average performance of a group relative to what that average would have been without the intervention. Bloom suggested that the tutoring represented a two-sigma advantage, which is far greater than that shown in actual implementations, but still a moderate advantage. Bloom’s more idealized claim is based to long-term applications as would be implemented in mastery or personalized learning, which partly has a long-term benefit because learners move ahead at an optimal pace, which prevents the accumulation of gaps in understanding that have an accumulated impact on future learning. This significant tutoring effect does not meet all of these expectations. Still, it underscores the potential of tutoring to bridge achievement gaps and enhance student comprehension across various subjects and grade levels.
The study found that the effectiveness of tutoring varies depending on the tutor’s qualifications and the student’s grade level. Teacher and paraprofessional tutoring programs generally yield stronger impacts compared to nonprofessional and parent tutoring. This suggests that specialized training and pedagogical expertise play a crucial role in maximizing the benefits of tutoring. This factor is important in the challenge of tutoring following COVID, as the magnitude of the challenge could not be addressed by qualified individuals. Furthermore, tutoring tends to be most effective in earlier grades, with reading tutoring showing higher effect sizes in these foundational years, while math tutoring demonstrates increasing impacts in later grades. The timing and structure of tutoring also matter; during-school programs were found to be nearly twice as effective as after-school programs.
Mechanisms of Impact: Why Tutoring Works
Several key mechanisms contribute to the impressive effects of tutoring:
- Customization of Learning: Tutoring allows for individualized instruction, enabling tutors to “teach at the right level” for each student. This is particularly crucial for students who have missed foundational knowledge, as it prevents them from falling further behind and improves the productivity of classroom time.
- Reduced Class Size: Tutoring can be viewed as an extreme form of class size reduction, where the student-to-teacher ratio is significantly lowered, often to one-on-one or small group settings. This allows for more focused attention and tailored support.
- Enhanced Engagement and Feedback: The one-on-one or small group setting fosters greater student engagement and provides opportunities for rapid feedback, which are often not possible in a traditional classroom environment. This immediate feedback loop can significantly accelerate learning.
- Human Connection and Mentorship: The human connection and mentorship relationship that develops between a tutor and student can be a powerful motivator and contribute to a positive learning experience. This aspect is often lacking in computer-assisted learning programs, which, despite their potential for customized instruction, may miss out on the benefits of human interaction.
Disappointing Results During COVID-19: What Went Wrong?
Despite the well-documented benefits of tutoring, the widespread implementation of tutoring programs during the COVID-19 pandemic often yielded disappointing results. While the specific reasons are complex and multifaceted, several factors may have contributed to these outcomes:
- Rapid Scaling and Tutor Quality: The urgent need for tutoring during the pandemic led to a rapid expansion of programs, often relying on a large influx of new tutors. This may have compromised the quality and training of tutors. As the research indicates, highly educated, trained, and experienced tutors tend to have stronger impacts.
- Shift to Remote Learning: The transition to remote learning presented significant challenges for tutoring. Building rapport and providing personalized support can be more difficult in a virtual environment, potentially impacting the mentorship aspect of tutoring.
- Student Engagement and Access: The pandemic exacerbated issues of student engagement and access to resources. Students facing challenges with internet connectivity, suitable learning environments at home, or increased family responsibilities may not have been able to fully participate in or benefit from tutoring programs. The effectiveness of even the best tutoring program is limited if students cannot consistently engage with it.
- Focus on Remediation vs. Foundational Skills: While tutoring is excellent for addressing foundational knowledge gaps, the sheer scale of learning loss during the pandemic may have overwhelmed some programs. If students were significantly behind, a limited number of tutoring sessions might not have been sufficient to address the depth of their needs.
- Program Design and Implementation: The design and implementation of tutoring programs during the pandemic may have varied widely. Factors such as the duration and frequency of sessions, the curriculum used, and the integration with regular classroom instruction could have influenced outcomes. The research highlights the importance of during-school tutoring for greater impact, a model that may have been difficult to consistently implement during periods of remote or hybrid learning.
- Mental Health and Well-being: The pandemic had a profound impact on the mental health and well-being of students. Stress, anxiety, and other emotional challenges could have affected students’ ability to focus, learn, and engage with tutoring, regardless of its quality.
Moving Forward
The disappointing results of some tutoring initiatives during COVID-19 do not diminish the overall effectiveness of tutoring as an educational intervention. Instead, they highlight the critical importance of careful program design, robust tutor training, and a holistic understanding of the factors that influence student learning. As we move forward, it is essential to leverage the insights from research on effective tutoring practices, ensuring that programs are implemented in ways that maximize their potential to support K-12 students. This includes prioritizing highly qualified tutors, fostering strong human connections, and adapting strategies to address the unique challenges and opportunities of diverse learning environments.
Sources
Bloom, B. S. (1984). The 2 Sigma Problem: The Search for Methods of Group Instruction as Effective as One-to-One Tutoring. Educational Researcher, 13(6), 4-16. https://doi-org.ezproxy.library.und.edu/10.3102/0013189X013006004
Tutoring was supposed to save American kids after the pandemic. The results? ‘Sobering’
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