Tutoring: to hire or not to hire pro? What are the differences?

ABSTRACT

This study focuses on the practices implemented by tutors, considering education professionals, especially teachers, on the one hand, and on the other, non-education professionals, namely students. Interviews with 24 tutors, inspired by the explicitation interview technique, enabled us to determine that the nine most frequently implemented practices are similar regardless of whether the tutor is an education professional. Nevertheless, eight elements are likely to influence tutoring, most notably being familiar with the tutored students and their difficulties before the session, and knowing how the concepts are addressed in class. In this regard, tutoring provided by education professionals is likely to be even more effective the more they know the tutees. However, it would appear that non-professionals trained in program concepts and who benefit from follow-ups with the students’ teachers or parents are also able to provide quality tutoring.

KEYWORDS:

• Tutoring
• educational practices
• elementary school
• high school
• pandemic

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Geographical information

Quebec, Canada.

Notes

¹ Government investment in tutoring: $11 million in 2021, $63.86 million in 2022.

² In 2021, Alloprof received $7.3 million.

³ The entire survey protocol, including the interview grids, was validated by the university’s ethics and research board (certificate number 2021–361).

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by Quebec’s Ministère de l’Éducation (Agreement 350047709).