Learnings From Extant Research on High-Impact Tutoring: A Systematic Review of Implementation Findings

• In Event: Emerging Evidence on Implementing High-Impact Tutoring at Scale

Abstract

OBJECTIVE
This study synthesizes existing research on the implementation of tutoring programs which we define as one-to-one or small-group instruction in which a human tutor supports students in an academic subject area. Tutoring has emerged as an especially promising strategy for supporting students’ academic success with strong causal evidence finding large, positive effects on students' math and reading test scores across grade levels (Dietrichson et al., 2017; Nickow et al., 2020; Slavin et al., 2011). Prior studies have synthesized this causal evidence of effects, but none have summarized the evidence on implementation. Overall, existing meta-analyses provide little information on the mechanisms underlying the causal effects or on effective implementation, and they do not provide road maps or generative thinking around the role of tutoring in education moving forward. As tutoring efforts expand nationally it is useful to understand the policies, planning, and implementation practices that influence how tutoring is experienced by students and tutors. This study aims to increase understanding of how tutoring programs are implemented, to help identify gaps in our understanding of effective implementation, and to provide direction for further research.

We synthesize a broad range of research in order to address the following:
How has research conceptualized the role of tutoring across contexts?
How are tutoring programs planned, implemented, and experienced?
How does tutoring influence students, tutors, teachers, families, and others involved in tutoring programs?

METHODS/THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK/DATA
We review the research on the implementation of one-to-one or small group instruction in which a human tutor supports students in an academic subject area. We consider study findings within the context of authors’ existing theoretical frameworks and analyses rather than utilizing study data to explore novel research questions. In developing our methodology, we drew on key questions for systematic reviews outlined in Alexander (2020) and specific considerations for analyzing and synthesizing qualitative research described by Wilson and Anagnostopoulos (2021). See Table 1 for a summary of inclusion criteria and Figure 1 for a flowchart of the selection process.

FINDINGS
We identify and synthesize 40 studies which employ a range of research methodologies to describe how tutoring is implemented and experienced. We find that while existing research is limited in the range of tutoring contexts explored, with an emphasis on after-school tutoring and small-scale university-professor-run programs, and few elements of implementation are studied in depth across multiple studies, common patterns emerge. Tutoring program launch is often facilitated by strategic relationships between schools and external tutoring providers and strengthened by transparent assessments of program quality and effectiveness. Successful tutoring implementation often hinges on the support of key school leaders with the power to direct the use of school funding, space, and time. Tutoring setting and schedule, tutor recruitment and training, and curriculum identification influence whether students are able to access tutoring services and the quality of the instruction provided. Ultimately, strong tutoring is driven by strong student-tutor relationships through which tutors provide instruction strategically targeted for students’ strengths and needs driving towards a long-term academic goal.

Author

• Sara White, Vanderbilt University
  Presenting Author