RUNNING HEAD: Experience of Receiving Peer Tutoring

Experience of Receiving Peer Tutoring

Justin Christman, Ryan Hua, Kristen Kincaid, Brandon Roberson
Touro University Nevada

Experience of Receiving Peer Tutoring

This study is being carried out to understand the lived experience of occupational therapy
students at Touro University Nevada who have received peer tutoring. The research aims to
understand why students seek out tutoring and if they return, what benefits peer tutoring offered.
Understanding the experience of students who seek out and engage in peer tutoring can provide
insight into the process and can highlight effective tutoring strategies that can then be
incorporated into future peer-tutoring sessions. The study was executed using a
phenomenological approach and utilized a semi-structured interview format with each
participant. In the broadest sense, the study attempted to answer the question, what is the lived
experience of an occupational therapy student who has received peer tutoring at Touro University
Nevada? In order to answer the overarching question, we asked each participant the same basic
questions and then allowed for expansion or probing if necessary. Some of these questions
include: What prompted you to seek out peer tutoring? Did your grades improve from peer
tutoring? Would you recommend peer tutoring to others? A peer tutoring session, as it is referred
to in this study, is generally an hour long session between two students, one student (the tutor) is
already familiar with the material and scored a B or better in a similar class, and the other student
(the tutee) who is currently studying the material. Group peer tutoring is similar to the
description provided above, except that one tutor will lead the session for multiple tutees.
One limitation of the study is that the sample population was selected from a convenience
sample and therefore the study only examined peer tutoring experience of occupational therapy
students in the 2015 cohort at Touro University Nevada. In addition, the sample size was
relatively small. Another limitation is that some of the participants received anatomy tutoring
that concluded 3 months prior to the interview. Therefore, subjects may have forgotten specifics
of their tutoring experience. In addition, the cohort of 2015 had a different anatomy teacher than

Experience of Receiving Peer Tutoring

the previous cohort which may have affected the effectiveness of the peer-tutoring session. A
delimitation of the study is that we chose to exclude any peer tutoring experience that did not
take place while students were enrolled in Touro University Nevada. This was done to ensure
that the subjects had received peer tutoring in the past 6 months in order to help provide a
detailed account of their experience. In addition, limiting the peer-tutoring to experiences at
Touro University Nevada ensured that all subjects understood the definition of peer-tutoring as
this study defined it.
This study was designed and organized to determine the effectiveness of peer tutoring on
graduate students in the Masters of Occupational Therapy program at Touro University-Nevada.
Related literature focused on academic performance of students involved in peer tutoring,
resources used, year in curriculum of tutors and tutees, and academic achievement due to peer
tutoring. Other studies conducted determined peer tutoring had a positive effect on academic
performance, tutees retention of subject matter, as well as decreased stress level. As a group,
questions were developed and designed to successfully complete the qualitative study (Appendix
A). Upon completing our first interview, the group discussed changes and additions to the current
questions. We did this to further clarify and gather a deeper understanding of the data we were
collecting. The semi-structured interviews were conducted individually, in a private room. This
was to ensure interviewees would feel comfortable sharing personal information regarding study
habits and course grades.
Findings indicate that the Reciprocal Peer tutoring condition resulted in higher
examination scores and lower levels of subjective distress than the Questions Only or Placebo
Control conditions (Dimeff, Fantuzzo, & Fox, 1989). Furthermore, it was suggested that
providing students with a structured format for mutual teaching may be necessary for producing

Experience of Receiving Peer Tutoring

these beneficial effects (Dimeff, Fantuzzo, & Fox, 1989). Tutoring programs showed that these
programs have positive effects on the academic performance and attitudes of those who receive
tutoring. A meta-analysis performed in 1982 found that tutored students outperformed control
students on examinations and they also developed positive attitudes toward the subject matter
covered in the tutorial programs (Cohen, Kulik, & Kulik, 1982). It shows, as many
commentators have suggested, that tutoring benefits both tutors and tutees on both the cognitive
and affective levels (Cohen, Kulik, & Kulik, 1982). Most studies found that peer tutoring has
positive impact on academic performance (Garavalia, Garavalia, & Santee, n.d.). Tutees
recognize that since their peer have recently gone through the same experience; they are better
able to understand why the tutee is having difficulty and teach at a more appropriate level
(Garavalia, Garavalia, & Santee, n.d.). If academic success is defined as completing the course
with a passing grade (i.e., C- or better), then the majority of students who participated in tutoring
succeeded, met the academic demands of college-level work, and performed as well as those
who chose not to be tutored. In fact, the performance of tutored students was slightly better than
non-tutored students (Hall, Hendrickson, Love, & Yang, 2005). Tutored students say tutoring was
useful and that they are able to use what they learned is positive (Hall, Hendrickson, Love, &
Yang, 2005)
Major themes present in most articles in the literature review were experience,
facilitating learning, structured format, and positive effects on academic performance and
attitude. Peer tutoring was found to be beneficial for the students who received tutoring as well
as the tutors. Overall, the students who received tutoring outperformed students who chose not
to receive tutoring. Tutored students received higher test scores, GPA, and pass rate than those
who did not seek tutoring.

Experience of Receiving Peer Tutoring

One major flaw in a study, Hendriksen, Yang, Love, and Hall (2005), is that the results of
the students being tutored were subjective. Without a quantitative measure, researchers cannot
discern whether tutees are incorporating knowledge presented in tutoring session for future use
or if they are simply memorizing facts without internalization. There has yet to be a valid and
reliable tool to assess something this subject matter effectively. Also conflicting evidence is
present in the effectiveness of tutoring. While some students seemed to benefit from peertutoring, it does not seem to have the same effect on all students. In one study, 30% of students
did not pass their courses even after receiving peer-tutoring (Hall, Hendrickson, Love, & Yang,
2005). Therefore it is debatable as to whether peer-tutoring provides lasting effects on a students
academic performance.
The idea of having reciprocal peer tutors compared to a questions only approach seems
to be the most promising method. In reciprocal peer tutoring, a student it paired with a peer to
essentially teach one another. They each make questions and exchange them with one another.
Questions only approach is where a student makes questions like in reciprocal peer tutoring
except the student is not able to exchange questions with another student (Dimeff, Fantuzzo, &
Fox, 1989). In this approach the student is essentially tutoring himself. This would be a method
that can further confirm the positive use of reciprocal peer tutoring.
The relationship between the central topic of the literature review and our research
project emerged as we used specific articles in order to help generate the questions that would be
asked in the semi-structured interview. Notably, because of the discrepancy observed in the
literature relating to the subjects academic success after peer-tutoring, we wanted to make sure to
include a direct question regarding if our subjects observed a link between the tutoring they
received and their final academic grade. Furthermore, after accounting for the different

Experience of Receiving Peer Tutoring

methodological approaches, we concluded that the literature did not properly account for the
lived experience of those who have had peer-tutoring and this guided us in our decision to use a
phenomenological approach with our study.
The study utilized an empirical phenomenological approach to understand the lived
experience of first year occupational therapy students at Touro University Nevada who received
peer tutoring. It was decided that a phenomenological approach would be the best choice for this
study because we wanted to understand several individuals shared experiences of a
phenomenon. The assumption of a phenomenological study is that it seeks to understand peoples
lived experience. First the phenomenon of interest, peer tutoring, was identified. Understanding
the experiences of students who have had peer tutoring can yield important implications for
schools, tutoring centers, and tutors themselves in regards to their policies or practices.
Next, we secured a sample of first year occupational therapy students at Touro University
Nevada. Possible subjects were identified by asking individuals if they have received peer
tutoring at Touro University Nevada. If the subject responded yes, then we asked them if they
would be willing to participate in our study. We explained that the study would consist of a 10-15
minute interview where we would ask questions to gain insight and understanding of their
tutoring experience. From this process we were able to gather a sample of 10 individuals willing
to participate in the study. The individuals who agreed to be interviewed for the study were
chosen out of a convenience sample due to the requirements that all participants had to come
from the class of 2015 occupational therapy students at Touro University Nevada.
We created a set of interview questions to elicit data from our sample (Appendix A).
Data collection was done through a semi-structured interview conducted with each individual.
This method was chosen for its ability to provide guided questions that all subjects will be asked,

Experience of Receiving Peer Tutoring

while still allowing new ideas to be brought up and expanded on during the interview. The
subjects were interviewed in a private room with all researchers present. One researcher was
responsible for conducting the interview with the scripted questions, while another transcribed
the interviewees answers verbatim. Transcription was done on the computer with a document
that had the scripted interview questions pre-typed. Therefore the transcriber was only
responsible for typing the interviewees responses and any follow-up questions. Two researchers
alternated in the role of transcriber. The remaining researchers listened for opportunities to probe
with follow up questions when the subjects response needed clarification or expansion. Once the
interview was completed, subjects were assured that their responses would remain confidential
and were to be solely used for the purposes of the study. Confidentiality and anonymity was
maintained by interviewing in a private room and not linking an individuals interview with their
name.
This study used interview responses as the main source of data collection. All the
researchers worked together to find common themes expressed in the interviews. Each researcher
was given a print copy of 2-3 of the completed interviews so all could be analyzed concurrently.
We then went systematically through each interview question to identify any common themes
expressed. We would take turns reading aloud the responses to the question. Then the research
group members agreed on the main message of the response and wrote it as a column on a
separate sheet. When another interview response expressed the same message a tally was placed
in the corresponding column to indicate that another interviewee expressed the same idea, if a
new main message was agreed upon, it would then be written as a new column. This was
completed for each of the 10 interview responses for each question. When this methodology had
been applied to each of the interview questions, the researchers then looked back at the columns

Experience of Receiving Peer Tutoring

created to see which messages had the most tallies. Themes were then created based on the ideas
or messages that were expressed most often by the interview respondents. This method increased
trustworthiness by allowing each member of the research team to express their opinion about the
ideas they believed the interviewer was trying to convey and the creation/placement of ideas into
common themes.
The study is generalizable in the sense that many students engage in peer tutoring and
may share in some of the themes represented. However, the study may be unique in that all
subjects are current first year students of occupational therapy at Touro University Nevada.
Differences may appear when the study is replicated with different ages, with different majors or
at different schools.
The phenomenon of focus, receiving peer tutoring, is one that some of the
researchers have familiarity with. At least one of the researchers has also received peer tutoring
as a Touro University of Nevada student while others have received peer tutoring at other points
in their life. The researchers experiences, along with the literature on peer tutoring, helped to
format the scripted questions.
After reviewing the interview responses many themes began to emerge. The theme of
proactivity developed when reviewing why subjects decided to seek out peer tutoring. Most
subjects knew the classes were going to be hard and expressed a concern about falling behind in
their studies. Therefore, they decided to be proactive in the process and seek out peer tutoring
before receiving a low grade. However, another theme emerged, one of reactivity, where subjects
only sought tutoring after receiving a lower than expected grade. In this study, the theme of
proactivity was expressed by more subjects.
The theme of facilitating learning was expressed by subjects when asked why they

Experience of Receiving Peer Tutoring

continued with peer tutoring. Among the subjects that found value in the experience, they felt
that the tutor was able to facilitate their learning by providing additional study materials, and
helpful ways to remember things. In addition, tutors were able to aid the tutees learning by
clarifying difficult concepts by breaking them down into layman terms and being available for
questioning and quizzing. Providing tutees with visual aids helped greatly to facilitate learning.
When questioned about times that tutoring was ineffective the themes of inability to
transmit knowledge, belittlement and unwelcomed group tutoring appeared. In regards to the
theme of inability to transmit knowledge, many reasons came into play. One common
explanation cited is that the tutor was ineffective at breaking down the material and presenting it
in a way the tutee could understand. Subjects cited a lack of visual aids and ineffective strategies
promoted by the tutor. As stated by one subject:
They just told me to memorize what was on the slide, but I dont learn that way. Subjects
expressed feelings that the tutor presented the material in a way that was ineffective.
One student described their experience: Everything just went over my head.
The theme of belittlement came into view after some subjects reported that the tutors ridiculed
their profession. Another respondent described it in a different way:
They made me feel stupid.
These findings were reported by subjects who had tutoring from an individual from a different
department. One subject reported
It was such a bad experience; I wouldnt go back.
Finally, ineffective tutoring also produced the theme of unwelcomed group tutoring. Research
subjects engaged in either individual or group peer-tutoring. Dissatisfaction was expressed
among those that began with individual peer-tutoring, but then had more people join in creating a

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group peer- tutoring experience. Subjects that did not initially want group peer- tutoring did not
find the sessions productive. Lack of individual attention, explanation of concepts already
mastered and distractions were reasons cited for ineffectiveness.
In addition to ineffective transfer of knowledge, peer-tutoring pitfalls also generated two
more themes difficulty scheduling and increased student burden. Although not enough to deter
most subjects, they did express that it was difficult to schedule tutoring at times that worked for
both tutor and tutee. Furthermore, some subjects reported that preparing for tutoring was
overwhelming. They said in order for tutoring to be effective, they had to have read and gone
over the PowerPoints assigned and then generate a list of questions to ask the tutor. This extra
work that needed to be done prior to the peer-tutoring session proved to be burdensome for many
subjects.
When subjects were asked whether they prefer studying with classmates or a tutor,
overwhelming they chose to study with a tutor, leading to the theme of experience. The tutors
provided an element that the tutees lacked, experience. The tutors have been through the same or
similar classes and were able to give an idea to the tutee about what to expect in the class and
highlight key concepts.
Among the subjects that said a tutor from the same department helped, they converged on
the theme of a shared experience. One subject summed up the responses best:
My tutor knew what I was going through, and understood where I was coming from.
Despite one subject never returning to tutoring and discord regarding the effect of tutoring on a
subjects overall grade, all subjects recommended that incoming students try peer-tutoring at
least once.
At the conclusion of the study, the peer-tutoring experience of Touro Universitys Nevada

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2015 occupational therapy cohort is better understood. The study yielded insights as to why
students sought out peer-tutoring, what they gained from it, and data on what techniques were
effective and ineffective. This study is valuable as it can help rationalize changes in the way
peer-tutoring is presented to student at Touro University Nevada. Many students sought out peertutoring as a way to be proactive. Therefore, when they go to their first tutoring session they may
not have anything that they necessarily need to go over. In order to make use of these sessions, a
well -prepared tutor can look back over their notes and present new material to the tutee in order
to prepare them for upcoming lectures. In addition, in order to lessen the tutees burden, a tutor
can help a tutee who comes to a session without specific questions by providing a quick
overview of the concepts the tutees class is covering at that time, and then highlight any areas
the tutor themselves had difficulty with when they were the same or similar class. This can help
reduce the stress of the tutee and still allow benefit to be had from the peer-tutoring session.
Furthermore, common tutor practices cited as the most helpful include the utilization of
visual aids. The majority of subjects responded that visual aids made the learning process much
easier and helped fill in the gaps of their understanding. Therefore, tutors should be encouraged
to include visual aids in their tutoring sessions. In addition, tutors should also be encouraged to
break difficult concepts into small, understandable ideas. In fact, the subjects received the most
benefit when the tutor tried various avenues to explain a concept until one worked with the tutee.
In addition, the study showed that subjects didnt ask the tutor to explain a concept multiple
times, even when they didnt understand it. The subjects reported not wanting to seem stupid or
they believed the tutor would be unable to present it in a way they would understand. Tutors need
to be aware of this because a tutee will often say they understand, when in reality, they dont.
The tutor can help this process by letting the tutee know that it is OK if they dont understand

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and assure the tutee that they would be happy to try and present the information in a different
way.
This study is greatly beneficial because it highlights ineffective tutoring practices. It is
our belief that many of the subjects do not report the ineffective tutoring practices, and instead
discontinue peer-tutoring. Many subjects seemed nervous or apologetic when describing the
ineffective parts of tutoring, and we think the confidentiality of the interview allowed them to
share aspects of tutoring that need to change. One theme, belittlement, really stood out to
researchers. Subjects reported discontinuing peer-tutoring due to a perception that the tutor
talked down to them and belittled their intelligence and profession. This theme was found solely
among subjects who had tutoring from an individual in a different department. Tutors can be
trained to interact with tutees with respect and encouragement in order to avoid these unfortunate
circumstances. Another way to improve tutoring sessions is to prohibit any outside individual
from joining a one-on-one peer tutoring session. Subjects expressed that tutoring sessions lost
efficiency as more people joined in, and the subjects did not feel comfortable asking their
classmates to leave. Therefore, a policy prohibiting other people from joining individual peerstudy sessions should be enforced by the tutor.
One final theme that presented a barrier to peer-tutoring for some subjects was that of
difficulty scheduling. Subject responded that both their own and the tutors busy schedule made it
difficult to find time for tutoring that would be amenable to both parties. A possibility to
overcome this hurdle is allowing a tutee to have more than one tutor per subject. This can allow
for more variability in times that a tutee can schedule a peer-tutoring session.
In order to generalize these findings, it is necessary to run the study again with a more
diverse pool of subjects. Diversity in age, course of study and school will allow findings to be

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representative of those that engage in peer-tutoring. Furthermore, since peer tutoring involves
two individuals, a future study should interview tutors in order to understand their lived
experience of peer-tutoring.

References
Cohen, P., Kulik, C.C., & Kulik, J. (1982). Educational Outcomes of Tutoring: A Metaanalysis of Findings. American Educational Research Journal, 19, 237-248. doi:

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10.3102/00028312019002237

Dimeff, L., Fantuzzo, J.W., Fox, S.L. (1989). Reciprocal Peer Tutoring: A
Multidimensional Assessment of Effectiveness with College Students. Teaching of Psychology,
16, 133-135. doi: 10.1207/s15328023top1603_8

Garavalia, P., Garavalia, L., & Santee, J. (n.d.). Peer Tutoring in Health Professions
Schools. Ncbi.nih.gov. Retrieved December 4, 2013, from www.ncbi.nih.gov.

Hall, M. C., Hendrickson, S., Love, B., & Yang, L., (2005). Assessing Academic Support:
The Effects of Tutoring on Student Learning Outcomes. Journal of College Reading and
Learning, 35(2), 56-64.

Appendices A
State at the beginning of the interview:
The purpose of this interview is to seek a better understanding of Touro graduate students
experiences of who received peer tutoring.

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Initial Questions
Questions in bold were added and sequenced following the first completed interview.
1.

What prompted you to seek out tutoring?

2.

Have you had tutoring in the past?

3.

What subjects did you receive tutoring in?

4.

Do you receive tutoring as a group or individual?

5.

Did you have a preference for your tutor? If so, how did you hear about them?

6.

Did your tutor take the same class as you? In the same program? If so, do you think that

was beneficial? If not, how do you feel about that?

7.

How many sessions did you attend? If you attended more than one, what about the

experience made you want to come back?

8.

What kind of relationship do you have with your tutor? Can you describe your rapport?

9.

Did your grades improve from tutoring?

10. What was your favorite thing about tutoring?

11. What was your least favorite thing about tutoring?
12. Would you recommend tutoring for other students?
13. How would you compare studying with your classmates vs receiving tutoring? How
are they similar or compare? Which one do you prefer?
14. Would you like to add anything that we havent touched on?