The Relation Between Student Ability and the Quality and Effectiveness of Explanations

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine the quality and effectiveness of students’ mathematical explanations as a function of the ability of the tutor. We videotaped dyads from 20 classrooms in which all students had been trained in constructive peer-tutoring interactions and had practiced those methods twice weekly for 23 weeks. From each classroom, one dyad incorporated a high-achieving tutor; the other, a medium-achieving tutor; both tutored the same classmate with a learning disability in the area of mathematics. Results indicated that high-achieving tutors’ explanations were rated higher on conceptual, procedural, and overall quality; incorporated a greater variety of explanatory strategies; earned higher conceptual orientation scores; and resulted in better performances among tutees. Implications are discussed in terms of optimizing grouping arrangements during collaborative learning activities and related concerns about mainstreaming students with learning disabilities for academic instruction.