Peer Tutoring and At-Risk Students: An Exploratory Study

Abstract

This study examined how participation as a mathematics tutor would affect middle school students identified as at-risk for dropping out of school. Utilizing both quantitative and qualitative techniques in a quasi-experimental design, the study examined how tutoring affected students identified as at-risk due to low socioeconomic status and one or more factors previously identified in the literature for students dropping out of school. Additionally, this study examined how tutoring affected other factors that may put students at-risk, such as perceptions of the relevance of school, perceptions of success in school, and feelings of alienation in school. When at-risk students who participated in a six-week tutoring project were compared to at-risk students who did not participate, significant differences were found in academic performance in math class and on the state standardized test of mathematical performance. The qualitative data indicated positive effects on the tutors' attendance, classroom behavior, perceptions of success in school, and sense of belonging to the school community.