Site: My research is based on tutoring interaction
at the website Tutor.com, a service free to Alaska residents provided by the
Statewide Library Electronic Doorway website (or SLED). I chose this site
because it is publicly funded and available for free, whereas other online
tutoring sites have costs attached and I was unsure of their credibility. I
knew about Tutor.com from UAA’s Reading and Writing Center; the RWC recommends this resource to distance students, students who
seek tutoring outside of the RWC’s normal hours, and students who are unable to
be helped at the RWC on busier days like those before finals week.
Participants: The participants for my research are various
tutors at Tutor.com (who do not know they are being studied) and myself. I will
submit papers for tutoring sessions and interact with tutors during the review
session.
Self: I will be acting as a participant in the role
of a student, or as Tutor.com labels users, as a “customer.” This provides an
interesting dynamic, because I bring my own beliefs in writing instruction to
the table from my experience as a tutor in UAA’s RWC and from various classes
in teaching composition. I am also a user of digital spaces that use instant
messaging, and my own level of participation and experience in IM interactions
may play a part in the interactions between tutors and myself.
Data: The data will consist of instant messaging
transcripts from my sessions with tutors at the site and the papers submitted
to tutors with tutor comments following each session.
Analysis: Using Haas’ 15-item taxonomy of instant messaging, I will analyze the conversations during each tutoring
session; attention will be focused on the tutor’s use of any of the items in
the taxonomy and the frequency at which they are used. A chart is provided
below for a detailed list of these 15 items with various examples.
 |
| (Haas 385) |
Traditions: Drawing from multiple fields of research, I aim to draw a
connection between the IM interaction and the success of the tutoring session.
Research on imitating writing centers online (Rilling), using email exchanges
for tutoring (Rilling), using IM for peer review (Jin and Zhu), and various
articles drawing connections between academic and digital literacies (Rilling; Jin and Zhu; Johnson; Sternberg; Sweeny; and Haas) have all contributed to
knowledge in digital literacies and provide a background on which to base this
connection. The affordances available in a digital space are much different
than those in face-to-face tutoring, and the study of instant messaging in this
setting will provide valuable information to helping students in a digital
sphere. I hope this study will help develop a bridge between academic writing
and the use of instant messaging in an academic setting. Tutoring, both on- and
off-line, benefits students dramatically when classroom time does not allow for
the complexities of writing development and revision, and it is important that
research continually develop ways to benefit students using various
technologies for school.
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