Qingyang (Ashley) Zhang
Tutoring is critical in achieving mastery learning and combating learning loss from the pandemic era. Randomized control trials have evidenced the efficacy of tutoring, with mixed conclusions when comparing the effect of small group tutoring and one-on-one tutoring. On the one hand, interventions with more students instructed by a single tutor at the same time incur lower costs and may reduce stigma and activate social learning. On the other hand, more students per group may reduce impact by dividing the tutor's attention. Yet little has been studied to understand the ideal size of the tutoring sessions and the effective strategies in managing group sessions. One of the challenges lies in quantitatively measuring how much a tutor attends to each student in a session and its effect on learning outcomes. Our study uses tutor transcripts from an RCT-evaluated online two-on-one tutoring program to develop a measurement for whom the tutor directs language to and how the measure relates to student performances. Our findings help understand the effective strategies that tutors adopt to navigate the dual demands of addressing individual learning needs while also maintaining group cohesion.
© Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305.
