Research on tutoring has shown that the student's interaction with the tutor determines the learning outcomes. In human tutoring, the responsibility of the interaction is shared between the tutor and the student. In the case of a computer coach such as the McGill Statistics Tutor, the control of the interaction is put entirely in the hands of the learners. Learners' ability to interact with the system productively therefore represents a critical aspect affecting the learning outcomes. This ability of help seeking (Nelson-LeGall, 1981) has not been well researched from a cognitive science point of view in the context of computer-supported learning (Aleven et al., 2003). The aims of the present work were to elaborate and test a cognitive model of help seeking and to examine the prevalence of help seeking in a problem-based computer-supported learning situation, as well as individual differences and the effect of the progression in a sequence of tasks with respect to help seeking. / Participants were 18 graduate students from a faculty of Education of a Canadian university. The seven-hour experiment involved working in pairs to solve a very challenging statistics problem for which students did not have sufficient background. A computer coach based on human tutoring, the McGill Statistics Tutor, was available to provide help with every aspect of the task. / Data consisted of two complementary sources. The main source was the dialogue between the participants as they worked on the statistics problem using the computer coach. The students' use of the computer coach and solutions to the tasks were also integrated into the database. / Data analysis consisted of statistical analyses using log-linear models. Conditional probability graphs were also constructed from the data. / The results were consistent with the help seeking model. Individual differences were found in terms of emphasis on certain help seeking activities. Effects of the progression in the sequence of tasks were also found. The quality of the solutions students elaborated corresponded to specific profiles of help seeking. The structure of help seeking episodes was established and corresponded to the model. These results have implications for the design of computer coaches and instructional situations.

For years, basic writers have been identified and labeled as remedial. Several alternative approaches have had limited success in terms of developing basic writers' skills. My study explores the potential of in-class tutoring to serve as an educational alternative to working with basic writers. Once Ball State's in-class tutoring was in place, I was faced with evaluating and justifying in-class tutoring in terms of department pedagogies, Writing Center goals, and effect on basic writers. However, in order to understand the Writing Center's role in basic writing programs, I had to design a study which would incorporate the most important factors of evaluation: assessment data and observation. My study identified key factors of in-class tutoring, to justify the continued existence and development of in-class tutoring at Ball State and possibly beyond. By breaking my analysis down into two areas, assessment data and observation, I isolated the individual aspects which affected the program. Although this data does not offer conclusive evidence about the program itself, the assessment data offers some interesting patterns of growth, and the observational data proved to be useful in terms of evaluating the program from an administrative perspective. My analysis of the issues and data lead me to conclude that in-class tutoring is worth evaluating and researching. / Department of English

Cooperative tutoring in a writing center setting consists of two tutors who work collaboratively with one student. It is a variation of one method of training new tutors, where the novice tutor observes the expert tutor during a tutoring session and eventually participates with the expert tutor. This study focused on the interactions between the tutors. Through cooperative tutoring, tutors learn new or different tutoring approaches from each other, which in turn serves as ongoing professional development. I explain the methodology used in the study, and I analyze the data. From the data analysis, I identify three preliminary categories, which are Equal Partners, New Alliance, and Trainer/Trainee. Equal Partners sessions are characterized by a strong sense of camaraderie between the tutors and a willingness to share both tutoring and academic writing strategies with each other and the student. During an Equal Partners session, tutors acknowledge the other tutor's strategies and incorporate parts of it into their own tutoring style. These sessions are more directive, and the tutors' focus is on teaching specific strategies for academic writing as well as passing on college survival lore. New Alliance sessions occur when both tutors are more actively engaged with the overall topic of the student's paper. Both of the tutors and the student share experiences and ideas on a personal level, working towards understanding how to craft ideas through academic discourse. In this way an alliance is formed with the writing center tutors and the student. During the Trainer/Trainee sessions, the tutors involved attempt to apply cooperative tutoring techniques but were unable to make the shift from the roles they once held as a trainer and a trainee. Finally, I present a summary and interpretation of my findings. I also discuss the limitations of the study and indicate areas for further research.

Thesis (Ed. D.)--Marshall University, 2004. / Title from document title page. Document formatted into pages; contains vi, 102 p. Includes abstract. Includes bibliographical references (p. 81-87).

Thesis--PlanB (M.S.)--University of Wisconsin--Stout, 2004. / Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (M. Ed.)--University of Hong Kong, 1993. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 108-111).

Thesis (M.A.)--Texas State University--San Marcos, 2009. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 62-68). Also available on microfilm.

Thesis (M.A.) - Carleton University, 2007. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 128-136). Also available in electronic format on the Internet.

Thesis (M.Ed.)--University of Hong Kong, 1993. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 108-111). Also available in print.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of North Carolina at Charlotte, 2005. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 109-115).