Benefits of structured after-school literacy tutoring by university students for struggling elementary readers

This study examines the effectiveness of minimally trained tutors providing a highly structured tutoring intervention for struggling readers. We screened students in Grades K–6 for participation in an after-school tutoring program. We randomly assigned those students not meeting the benchmark on a reading screening measure to either a tutoring group or a control group. Students in the tutoring group met twice per week across one school year to receive tutoring from non–education major college students participating in a service-learning course. The goal of this study was to determine whether tutors without prior teaching experience or instruction could improve student reading outcomes with minimal training, a structured reading curriculum, and access to ongoing coaching. Tutored students displayed significantly more growth than control students in letter-word identification, decoding, and passage comprehension, with robust effect sizes of 0.99, 1.02, and 0.78, respectively. We discuss the implications and limitations of these findings.
Authors citation
Lindo, E. J., Weiser, B., Cheatham, J. P., & Allor, J. H.
Publication
Reading & Writing Quarterly
Year of Study
2018
Subject
Literacy
Program Evaluated
Structured tutoring intervention provided by minimally trained tutors
Tutor Type
Paraprofessional
Duration
32 weeks
Sample size
34
Grade Level(s)
Kindergarten,
1st Grade,
2nd Grade,
3rd Grade,
4th Grade,
5th Grade,
6th Grade
Student-Tutor Ratio
1
Effect Size
0.54
Study Design
Randomized Controlled Trial
Lindo, E. J., Weiser, B., Cheatham, J. P., & Allor, J. H. (2018). Benefits of structured after-school literacy tutoring by university students for struggling elementary readers. Reading & Writing Quarterly