WHOSE TIME IS IT?

Penny PitruchaFrances Crawford Fennessy

Nathan RobertsSam Houston State University

A Journey of Self-Discovery

Our history:

• Learning Assistance Center

• Academic Enrichment Center

»January 2000

»Writing Tutors

Academic Enrichment

Center

Student Advising

And Mentoring

Center

Math Lab Reading Center Writing Center

SHSU Writing Center:

• English Department

–Graduate Teaching Assistants

• Tutors from different disciplines

»Graduate

»Undergraduate

Internal auditing:

• It has been our practice to review our internally generated reports to determine the type of services we provide.

– What type of training do our tutors need?

– Do we practice according to our theory?

– Is the theory that we utilize appropriate for our center?

Our job is to produce better writers, not better writing. -Stephen North

All writers need writing tutors. -Muriel Harris

…the need for tutors to maintain a certain amount of control and flexibility.

-Paula Gillespie and Neal Lerner

Most tutoring sessions can be effective in 30 minutes.

We wanted to review the student-centered concept and to determine if we truly are providing student-centered services.

Research questions:

• What type of service do we provide?

• Does this service match our theory?

Research hypotheses:

• We provide services that the student requests.

• This action supports our student-centered theory.

How the time was spent…

The research:

• From fall 2002 through spring 2004, we examined 9,520 reports for students in developmental English and freshman composition.

• Tutorial reports• Student

–Prompted• Tutor

0 1000 2000 3000 4000 5000 6000

Understanding Assignment

Identifying Audience

Clarifying Purpose

Choosing Form/Structure

Developing Ideas

Selecting Evidence

Sharpening Purpose

Strengthening Examples/Evidence

Improving Wording/Style

Grammar

Punctuation

Tutors

Students

Overall analysis of data

Developing Ideas 16%

Choosing Form/Structure 11%

Selecting Evidence 7%

Sharpening Purpose 28%

Strengthening Examples/Evidence

28%

Improving Wording/Style 56%

Grammar 58%

Identifying Audience 4%

Clarifying Purpose/Thesis 16%

Understanding Assignment 6%

Punctuation 52%

SERVICES REQUESTED BY STUDENTS

Developing Ideas 16%

Selecting Evidence 9%

Sharpening Purpose 18%

Strengthening Examples/Evidence

19%

Clarifying Purpose/Thesis 18% Choosing

Form/Structure 11%

Identifying Audience 4%

Understanding Assignment 10%

Improving Wording/Style 59%

Grammar 54%

Punctuation 48%

SERVICES PROVIDED BY TUTORS

11073

9854

15832 15347

0

2000

4000

6000

8000

10000

12000

14000

16000

Higher OrderConcerns

Lower OrderConcerns

StudentsTutors

562

916SudentsTutors

Understanding the Assignment

Greatest Variances

2707

1786

StudentsTutors

Strengthening Examples/Evidence

2689

1673

StudentsTutors

Sharpening Purpose

0

200

400

600

800

1000

1200

1400

1600

IdentifyingAudience

ChoosingForm/Structure

Developing Ideas

StudentsTutors

Least Variances

Implications…

• Overall the services our tutors provide do not match the services students requested.

• This data indicates that while we do adhere to our theory, we cannot define our center as student-centered.

• There is still an unclear picture of what happens in the tutoring sessions.

• These tutor reports are not designed to measure the relationship between services requested and services provided.

• Prompted Responses• Terminology

Further research…

• Does the level of student control of the issues discussed in sessions increase as course levels increase?

• What perceptions do students and tutors have concerning this issue?

• What can we add to this study to give a clearer indication of the type of service we are providing?

How I wish the time had been spent…

Student comment:

• When I bring a paper in for English, and I only want it read over for any grammatical errors, I might have it read over, I feel it isn’t productive to go over everything in my paper—in other words, yes, offer to go over the whole thing. But if I say I only want to check for misspelled words, just check that part for me!

What we knew:

• The initial review of the SHSU Writing Center tutorial reports indicated that we did not give students the services that they requested.

What we believed:

• Student services, tutorial sessions, should be student-centered.

• Tutorial reports may not reflect everything that happens in tutorial sessions.

The tutorial session questioned…

It has become necessary to review the tutorial sessions and examine the roles each participant plays.

The research questions:

• Why are services that students have not asked for being provided?

• Why are services that students have asked for being ignored by tutors during tutorial sessions?

Research hypotheses:

• Tutors are overwhelmed by the amount of assistance the student’s writing requires and focus on global issues rather than local concerns.

• Students have questions and desires that are not requested and, thus, go unmet in the tutorial sessions.

The 2004 research:

Conducted 2 surveys: Tutors Students

The tutor survey:

• Tutor

• Tutorial sessions

»September 2004

The tutor’s prompts:

• I noticed these things in the student’s paper but did not discuss them:

• Because:

Tutor group results:

Other10%

Word use19%

Grammar28%

None43%

What does “other” mean?

Elaborate 5%

Format 3%

Come earlier/again

1%

Citations 1%

Tutor constraints:

0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18

Global issues

Gave examples

Concern for student

Felt uncomfortable

Time constraint-student

Time constraint - tutor

Specific instructions

Repeat visit

n/a Grammar Word use Other

The student survey:

• Student

• 5 English instructors

»September 2004

The student’s prompt:

• I wish I had taken the time during the tutorial session to…

Nothing33%

Grammar14%

Word use13%

Elaboration5%

Organization12%

Other14%

More time9%

Student group results:

What does “other” mean?

Help fix errors 1%Come earlier/again

1%

Use my time wisely 2%

MLA 1%

Grade 1%Clarity 4%

Nicer tutor 4%

Tutor desires:Word use

19%

Come again/earlier1%

MLA1%

Format3%

None43%

Grammar28%

Elaboration5%

Student desires:None33%

Clarity4%Grade

1%

Nicer4%

Help fix1%

Grammar14%

Word use13%

Elaboration5%

MLA1%

Come earlier/again1%

Use my time wisely2%

Organization/flow12%

More time9%

Biggest variances:

0%5%

10%15%20%25%30%35%40%45%

None Grammar Word use

Tutor Student

Least variances:

0%

1%

2%

3%

4%

5%

6%

7%

8%

Elaboration MLA Come again/earlier

Tutor Student

Distinct desires:

0% 2% 4% 6% 8% 10% 12%

Use time wisely

More time

Organization/flow

Clarity

Grade

Nicer

Help fix

Format

Student Tutor

Implications:

• What the student wants is often not perceived as most important by the tutor.

• Student-centered may not mean doing only what the student requests.

• Tutors need to be trained to effectively help students…

Further research:

• Does student-centered mean only providing the services that the student requests?

or

• Does student-centered mean providing the services the student needs?

“Whose time is it?”

If the time is controlled by the tutor, then the tutor has the responsibility

to spend that time in the most effective way possible.

Teacher-Centered vs.

Learner-Centered

Teacher-Centered

• Knowledge is transmitted from professor to student.

• The student is passively involved.

• The professor is the primary information giver.

Learner-Centered

• The student constructs knowledge through his or her own gathering and synthesizing of information.

• The student is actively involved.

• The professor’s role is to coach and facilitate.

How are the Teacher-Centered and Learner-Centered philosophies applied to the writing center?

The Writing Center as Storehouse

“operates as an information station or store house, prescribing and handing out skills

and strategies to individual learners” (Lunsford 4).

The Writing Center as Garret

“based on a deep seated belief in individual genius. Unlike the Storehouse centers, Garret centers don’t view knowledge as exterior…but interior…and view the writing center’s job as

helping students get in touch with that knowledge” (Lunsford 4).

How do these approaches translate into personal tutor philosophies?

The Montressor Method of Tutoring