While research shows that high-impact tutoring programs consistently result in student learning gains, the benefits of tutoring can extend beyond academic learning. For instance, students may come to see more value in the subject, develop a connection with a caring adult, or even enjoy school more. Tutors also stand to benefit from their experiences instructing and interacting with students. Administering student and tutor surveys provides an opportunity to capture a broader scope of outcomes than test scores or grades. Moreover, surveys can start to shed light as to why a tutoring program is – or is not – successful and provide action-oriented insights into how to improve the initiative.
Types of Surveys (and when to administer them)
Pulse Checks
To gauge how a tutoring program is going, you can administer brief, progress monitoring surveys to students and tutors. These pulse checks should be administered on a consistent basis, ranging from every other week to every month. Program leaders can pair the data from the frequent surveys with tutoring attendance records to take stock of how the tutoring program is proceeding and make real-time adjustments.
Extended Surveys
The extended surveys aim to assess a much broader range of outcomes. These surveys contain more questions and take longer to complete, so they should be used more sparingly. In general, it is recommended to administer the extended student and tutor surveys at the beginning and end of a tutoring program to assess changes over time. Importantly, the questions in these surveys can be administered to all students, not just those who receive tutoring (unless otherwise noted).
How to Administer Surveys
While you can always use paper and pen to administer surveys, the easiest way to collect data is to use an online survey platform. Some popular online survey platform options with free account options include Google Forms, Survey Monkey, and Qualtrics.[1]
How to Analyze Survey Responses
Survey results can be used to better understand trends in how students and tutors experience your program. You can look at how students and tutors respond to each question on average and the full distribution of responses. Consider breaking down survey results by student demographics in order to understand how student experiences may differ across groups. You may also explore how student responses correlate with other academic outcomes measured in your setting.
Downloadable Survey Templates
- Pulse Check for Tutors [Excel] [Qualtrics]
- Pulse Check for Students, Grade K-3 [Excel]
- Pulse Check for Students, Grade 4+ [Excel] [Qualtrics]
- Extended Survey for Tutors [Excel]
- Extended Survey for Students, Grades 4+ [Excel]
[1] These items were created to assess the target constructs using survey design best practices. Many of the scales were adapted from Panorama Education’s Social-Emotional Learning Survey (www.panoramaed.com).