The effects of cross-age tutoring upon the decoding skills, attitude toward reading, teacher perceptions of reading improvement, and the self-concept of inner-city at-risk students.
Item
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Title
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The effects of cross-age tutoring upon the decoding skills, attitude toward reading, teacher perceptions of reading improvement, and the self-concept of inner-city at-risk students.
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Identifier
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AAI9924830
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identifier
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9924830
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Creator
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Menikoff, Laura Boxer.
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Contributor
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Advisers: Marian Fish | Shirley Feldmann | Alan Gross
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Date
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1999
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Language
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English
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Publisher
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City University of New York.
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Subject
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Education, Reading | Education, Educational Psychology
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Abstract
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Research during the past two decades suggests that some instructional components are more effective than others for educating "at risk" children. The strongest academic pins are demonstrated in programs that emphasize prevention, provide individualized instruction in reading and math skills, and maximize time on task as well as student participation (Cochran et al., 1993; Gersten et al., 1987; Slavin et al., 1989). Although numerous anecdotal reports and a number of research investigations have suggested that student mediated peer tutoring programs integrate these beneficial instructional components and contribute to academic gains by both tutors and tutees, few methodologically sound empirical studies have been conducted in this area.;This study was designed to systematically examine the effects of a cross-age tutoring program upon both the tutors and the tutees on the following dependent variables: decoding skills, attitude toward reading, teacher perceptions of reading improvement, and the global and academic self-concept of participating students. The study was conducted in an urban public elementary school in Queens, New York with a predominantly African-American student body. The tutors were recruited from the sixth grade, and the tutees were recruited from the second grade. Both groups were chosen from those students considered by their teachers to be among the bottom half of their class in terms of reading ability. The tutors were systematically trained in explicit and indirect strategies to address decoding skills. The tutoring intervention was implemented over a 15 week period. Measures of all dependent variables were assessed in a variation of a quasi-experimental pre and posttest control group design.;As hypothesized, both the tutor and tutee groups demonstrated significant gains in terms of decoding skills. There was no measured effect for group in terms of either improved attitudes toward reading or global self-concept. Although it was noted that the involved classroom teachers indicated a greater number of the participating students as having made observable improvement in reading than among the control group participants, the group differences were not statistically significant. However, the classroom teachers made qualitative comments indicting that the project participants had demonstrated observable improvement in many aspects of reading performance. A post-intervention feedback survey of the tutor and tutee members suggested very positive perceptions of their involvement as helpers and learners.;It is hoped that the involved teachers and school administrators will look favorably upon the use of cross-age peer mediated instruction as a viable supplement to large group classroom teaching techniques.
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Type
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dissertation
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Source
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PQT Legacy CUNY.xlsx
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degree
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Ph.D.
