Learning From the “Little Guys”: What do Middle and High School Preservice Teachers Learn from Tutoring Elementary Students?
Abstract
As teacher educators, we continue to focus on tutoring experiences as ways to help tutors connect coursework to practice. This study presents a preservice tutoring program designed to provide a field-based experience where the tutors would be able to (a) learn about literacy instruction, (b) use a multitude of assessment data rather than representing students by single scores, (c) design literacy curriculum based on students' needs, and (d) focus on motivating students to read and write in addition to helping them succeed academically. Unlike previous studies, the tutors were middle and high school preservice teachers tutoring elementary struggling readers.
Reference
Massey, D. D., & Lewis, J. (2011). Learning from the “little guys”: What do middle and high school preservice teachers learn from tutoring elementary students?. Literacy Research and Instruction, 50(2), 120-132.
Journal
Literacy Research and Instruction
Analysis
Is this article part of a larger project or series of studies?
no
Does this study draw on a large, preexisting data set?
no
Research Approach
Geographic Setting
Institutional Context
Certification Level
Programatic Focus
Research Location Context
Preservice Participants
- Masters of Arts in Teaching
Preservice Sample Size
16
Duration of Data Collection
Data Sources
- assignments
- fieldnotes
- Focus group interviews
- lesson plans
- reflections
- Theses
Data Analysis Tools
- Qualitative Content Analysis
Researcher Positionality
- Outside (not directly invested in the program or operations)
Research Questions
How did preservice teachers’ experiences providing literacy tutoring to elementary students help prepare them to teach reading at the secondary level?
Is this research question explicit from the manuscript? Combination