This report is focused on the use of affective pointers (acknowledgements and hedges) detected in exchanges between learners and tutors on asynchronous mathematics online help sites. In this environment, both students and tutors use feedback in form of acknowledgements to control communication and assess its success. Hedges, or insecurities, point…

This study investigates the relationships between connectedness in discourse and the in-text comments that tutors write on postgraduate essays at a Thai university. Connectedness was divided into cohesion, propositional coherence and interactional coherence which were analysed using Hoey's lexical analysis [Hoey, M. (1991). "Patterns of lexis…

The increasing use of computers to enable or replace face-to-face tutorial discussion groups in higher education is creating a new form of academic writing. This small-scale study of 43 students and three tutors identifies ways in which students present their opinions in a forum which allows greater time for reflection, but also creates a…

Prior research has established that peer tutors can benefit academically from their tutoring experiences. However, although tutor learning has been observed across diverse settings, the magnitude of these gains is often underwhelming. In this review, the authors consider how analyses of tutors' actual behaviors may help to account for variation in…

The main objective of the study reported was to explore the effect on young children's critical thinking of a peer-tutoring training embedded with the metacognitive processes required for problem-based learning and, consequently, for critical thinking. The sample consisted of 90 first- and third-grade pupils (45 pairs) randomly assigned to the…

This study involved the analysis of the complex interactions that take place between tutors and preschool children using a computer during early literacy tutoring sessions. Eight five-year-old pre- and early-readers attending a childcare centre participated in daily 20-minute tutoring sessions for two weeks. The literacy software (a beta version)…

This article explores whether using reflective dialogue in action learning sets on a foundation degree (FD) in educational support can develop the capacity for reflective practice of the students. Developing a reflective stance in relation to professional practice is a central theme of the programme, which is reinforced by the work-based learning…

This study examines the impact of tutor training on the efficacy of adult peer tutors in colleges and universities. The author argues that many institutions hire tutors based on their GPAs, and do not train them to be tutors. For the college programs that do provide training, little research exists which identifies what topics should be included,…

In order to respond to learners' need for more flexible speaking opportunities and to overcome the geographical challenge of students spread over the United Kingdom and continental Western Europe, the Open University recently introduced Internet-based, real-time audio conferencing, thus making a groundbreaking move in the distance learning and…

This is an analysis of school tutors' assessments of aspects of "Standard one, professional values and practice" (DfES/TTA 2002) for secondary trainee teachers, together with interview data from a sample of trainee teachers and their school tutors/assessors. The paper examines teachers' interpretations of four sub-categories within this…

This final performance report for The Free Library of Philadelphia's RDP (Reader Development Program) Tutor Orientation Project begins with a section that provides quantitative data. Actual accomplishments are then compared to the following project objectives for 1992-93: (1) provide information about RDP's advisory service to tutors and tutor…

This report describes and evaluates an adult literacy education program, Project LEAD (Literacy Education and Development), at the Adrian Public Library (Michigan). The project's objectives were to: recruit functionally illiterate adults and provide reading instruction to improve literacy skills; recruit and train 65 additional volunteer tutors…

This final performance report for the Elizabeth Jones Library literacy project begins with a section that provides quantitative data. The next section compares actual accomplishments to the following project goals and related objectives for fiscal year 1992: (1) to provide a versatile workplace literacy program useful to any business in the…

A literacy project was a cooperative effort of the Onondaga County (New York) Public Library, Literacy Volunteers of Greater Syracuse, and Aurora (a private non-profit agency for the deaf) to establish a program to teach deaf adults to read. This report, which describes the project, begins with a section that provides quantitative data. The next…

Presents study results exploring sensitivity of child and adult tutors in one-to-one tutoring interactions. Reports that adult tutors showed greater sensitivity than child tutors and were more likely to display behaviors that promoted efficient learning. Explores sensitivity to learner's need for sufficient information and to participate actively…