By: Brian Swanberg

In Part I, I discussed the importance of reading comprehension for independent learning, and how (a lack of) reading comprehension can cause problems for students.

When parents notice that their child (or teachers with their students) notice that they have symptoms of study-related anxiety, decreased ambition, etc., they want to help empower the student. One of the most common solutions recommended for students is tutoring.

Tutoring can be a means to help instill positive attitudes toward learning, provide feedback in places of confusion, and aid in developing strong studying habits [o7, o27]. In other words, from the perspective of students, they can get:

• external validation of their knowledge
• positive reinforcement to learn
• direct, individualized feedback on how to get better.

So really, in the right situation, tutoring is an amazing option.

Still, by my observations, there has been little research on the specific positives and negatives of private tutoring for student outcomes. This idea may be due to the decentralized nature of tutoring [o10], as many tutors are independent, and the quality may vary across cultures, geographic areas, subjects, and income levels.

Pros and cons of tutoring for older students (>15 years). Note that these items are based on personal inferences for positive and negative experiences.

From my perspective, here are the main negatives of tutoring:

• Typically, when a tutor (or teacher) wants to provide feedback to help students, there is a specific question or problem to answer. The students who are most overwhelmed do not know where to start, and they do not know what they do not know. This concept makes tutoring much more time-intensive for students and their families, and because tutors often charge money per hour, growth may not be very efficient.
• Many students don’t like the feeling of having a tutor. It signals that they haven’t developed enough as a learner on their own to take action on those problems. Older students (high school and above) want to feel independent.
• Receiving feedback from the tutor increases dependence on the tutor for help. Getting the feedback means that the person wasn’t able to solve issues on their own. Receiving help when they need it is important for growth, but students should learn how to fix issues in order to be independent learners. Some tutors are great for helping enforce this idea, but many tutors are not.
• Tutoring is generally expensive, and it increases the pressure (or stress) on students to succeed. If the root problem for the user is not handled appropriately, it could lead to more issues.
• Lastly, there is one key idea important both from the perspective of tutors and families: generally, growth as a student takes significant, deliberate practice.

Too often, there is a scenario where you (as the coach/tutor) give the student assignments or goals to do before you meet with the student again. When you meet the student again, they did not do the practice, and they remain the same student as they were before they met, leaving them at a similar place of growth as they were previously.