Thesis (MSD (Employee Assistance Programme))--University of Pretoria, 2005. / Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (M.S.)--Worcester Polytechnic Institute. / Keywords: Authoring Tools; Pseudo-tutors; Education; Intelligent Tutoring Systems. Includes bibliographical references (p. 37).

Research paper (M.A.) -- Cardinal Stritch College -- Milwaukee, 1969. / A research paper submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Education (Reading Specialist). Includes bibliographical references (p. 42-43).

Writing academic papers continues to be a struggle for college students. Many universities provide tutoring services for a range of academic subjects including writing. Currently, there are few experimental studies to support the effectiveness of two frequently used tutoring methods: directive and nondirective tutoring. Based on existing knowledge about the acquisition of written language, this study aims to determine if directive (expert-directed) tutoring is more effective than nondirective (student-directed) tutoring in improving students' writing skills. In addition, this study sought to determine if changes in macrostructure and microstructure correlated to instructor assigned grades. Participants were recruited from undergraduate courses that included an initial paper and a revised final paper. Participants who chose 30-min of free tutoring were randomly assigned to one of the tutoring conditions: expert-directed (ED) or student-directed (SD). Participants who did not choose to receive tutoring were allocated to the control condition. There were 16 participants: ED group [n=7], SD group [n=7], and control group [n=2]. A descriptive analysis on measures of microstructure, paragraph structure, overall rating, and instructor assigned grades for the initial and final paper was conducted for 6 participants: ED group [n=2], SD group [n=2], and control group [n=2]. On measures of microstructure, the ED group decreased the average number of errors, the SD group maintained the same number of errors, and the control group increased the number of errors. Both the ED and SD tutoring groups decreased the average number of internal paragraph structure errors, while the control group maintained the same number of errors. All three groups received an increase in average overall rating; however, the control group received the smallest increase. All three groups received a comparable increase in average instructor assigned grade. The preliminary results suggest that tutoring is beneficial compared to no tutoring. Furthermore, there does not appear to be a relation between changes in the measures used in this study (microstructure, paragraph structure, overall rating) and instructor assigned grades. Further examination on whether directive tutoring is more effective than nondirective is required. The theories supporting directive tutoring (i.e. writing development, Vygotsky's zone of proximal development, learning theory) suggest that this method would be more effective than nondirective tutoring. In addition, research into the relation between grades and changes in macrostructure and microstructure is warranted.

Peer tutoring in higher education is an effective strategy for promoting academic gains. Within nursing, peer tutoring has been used in the clinical setting, but little information is available regarding its use across the nursing curriculum. A peer tutoring program was created at a regional Appalachian university to meet the needs of students with poor academic backgrounds and multiple risk factors for failure. As the program naturally evolved, students moved beyond the time-honored one-on-one model. Many tutoring patterns developed including dyad, small group, large group, skill based, assignment based, and question based. Qualitative evaluation data from the program revealed that each pattern required different tutor skills, involved varied tutor-tutoree relationships, focused on different outcomes, and had certain advantages and disadvantages. All tutoring patterns contributed to improved academic skills and performance.

The purpose of this mixed-methods study was to investigate the relationship between teachers’ conceptions of mathematics and their use of intelligent tutoring systems for mathematics instruction. Intelligent tutoring systems are adaptive computer programs which administer mathematics instruction to students based on their cognitive state. A conception is a mixture of beliefs and knowledge. The participants in this study were 93 junior high school mathematics teachers from three school districts in the Midwest. Data were gathered using a two-part online survey. The first part of the survey contained questions about their use of intelligent tutoring systems, graphing calculators, Desmos and dynamic geometry software. The second part of the survey contained Likert questions from the teachers’ version of the Conceptions of Mathematics Inventory. Desmos is a website providing interactive classroom activities and a user-friendly graphing calculator. Dynamic geometry software is a class of interactive geometry programs. The quantitative analysis revealed no statistically significant interactions between teachers’ conception scores and intelligent tutoring system use, or between teachers’ conception scores and how intelligent tutoring systems were used. There were statistically significant interactions between teachers’ conception scores and their use of graphing calculators, Desmos, and dynamic geometry software. The qualitative analysis revealed that teachers used intelligent tutoring systems for differentiation. Teachers used graphing calculators, Desmos, and dynamic geometry software for visual, computational, and exploratory purposes. Teachers exclusively using intelligent tutoring systems to incorporate technology should also incorporate technology which promotes student exploration.

All public schools in the United States have been caught up in educational reform. This has especially been true since the 1980’s. The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 was a major component in how schools have changed the process of educating students. In response to reform efforts, many schools have relied on their own knowledge to achieve higher test scores. In the last several years, accountability standards have been increasing. Schools are being assessed according to national standards. Because of this, many schools are using different methods of instruction for students at-risk of failing. One method of instruction that many schools have turned to is tutoring. Tutoring has been used in education for a long period of time. The use of tutoring and its effectiveness have been well established in the literature. However, there is not much literature on why tutoring is effective. There is also limited research on the tutor perceptions of the tutoring program. The focus of this study is to examine the use of tutors in Northeast Mississippi school districts. This study explores the grade levels and subjects tutors work in, how the tutoring sessions are organized, and the focus and materials of the tutoring sessions. Additionally, the backgrounds, experiences, training, and perceptions of the tutors regarding the tutoring program are explored. The results of this study suggest that tutors of schools in the Northeast Mississippi districts are utilized in a manner consistent with the research on effective tutoring. Additionally, the findings of this study add to the literature in regards to the organization, focus, and materials of the tutoring sessions. The findings show that some schools in Northeast Mississippi have a good organized tutoring program, but that others do not. Conversely, the focus and materials used in most of the tutoring sessions are consistent with ones shown to be effective in research. The findings also give some insight into tutor perspectives regarding tutoring sessions. Tutor perspectives coincide with research findings that show one-to-one and small group tutoring is effective and that tutors need training, observation, and feedback on tutoring to be most successful.

No description available.

Thesis (M. Ed.)--University of Hong Kong, 1996. / Includes bibliographical references (leaf 72-75).

Thesis (M. Ed.)--University of Hong Kong, 1998. / Includes bibliographical references (leaf 117-120).