Research Plan

Research Plan:

Purpose: Through my research, I hope to discover the relationships between gender/religion and age to authority in tutoring sessions.

Research Question: Who has control in the session and how is control influenced and shaped through gender and culture?

Sub Questions to Consider:
Are there significant age differences between tutor and student? Do the students and tutors talk about religious differences? Can you tell based on their clothing or jewelry? What gender is the tutor and student? Who has control in the session?

Information needed:

To proceed, I think I will need to gather the following information:

Articles that explore ownership in tutoring sessions and focus on the types of body language and types of phrases indicate ownership.

Articles that explore power in sessions .

Articles that explain characteristics of passive students vs passive tutors in tutoring sessions.

Articles that focus on gender and body language.

Articles that focus on the differences between teaching and tutoring.


From the observing the writing sessions, I will need to note the following information:

What happens in the beginning of the session, for example in the first five minutes of the session, who initiates conversation, who talks more and what types of information do they exchange with one another?

Arm/Hand Gestures

§ Fidgeting

§ Tapping fingers

§ Scratching

§ Hair twirling

§ Shrugging

§ Crossing arms

Eye contact

§ Blank stare at desk

§ Staring at paper

§ Looking up when thinking

§ Looking to the side

§ Tutor and student looking at each other

Facial expression

§ Frowning

§ Smiles

§ Smirk/Half Smile

§ Neither smiling nor frowning

§ Sighs and pauses

§ Hands on hips

§ Crossing arms behind back

Feet movement

§ Tapping

§ Shifting in chair

§ Crossing legs

Head Movement:

§ Nodding

§ Shaking head

Proximity/Posture

§ What is the distance between tutor and student?

§ How are they seated?

§ Slouching

§ Sitting up straight

§ Leaning back

§ Leaning forward

Speed of conversation

§ Do they talk at the same rate?

§ Who talks faster?

§ Who talks slower?

§ Are there instances where the speed changes?

Tone of Voice

§ Yelling

§ Whose voice is louder

§ Soft spoken?

§ Whispers?

§ Tone of voice

Resources

Blalock, Susan. "Negotiating Authority through One-to-One Collaboration in the Multicultural Writing Center." Writing in Multicultural Settings. Ed. Carol Severino, Juan C. Guerra, and Johnnella E. Butler. New York: MLA, 1997. 79-93.

Overview: This book discusses the role of authority in collaborative writing sessions that are based in writing centers which are composed of students from different religions, ethnicities, ages, skill levels, genders and backgrounds. This book is made up of twenty different essays from teachers and professors of English and composition courses.

Use: Because Kean University is a diverse community, this book would be beneficial in helping me identify some of the common issues that multicultural writing centers have in terms of authority and collaborative writing.

Maybe use the sample qualitative essay, three novice tutors forming relationships that they will have with their students. Watch how students form relationships with students. They chose different stances with respect to authority. Related to personality , need and amount of ahturoity taken in the session.

Bruffee, Kenneth A. Collaborative Learning: Higher Education, Interdependence, and the Authority of Knowledge. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins UP, 1993. Print.

Overview: In this book, Kenneth Bruffee argues that universities and colleges need to understand and accept that collaborative learning is necessary in order for students to succeed and best acquire knowledge throughout their academic careers. Part one’s chapter five and six contain sections that focus on collaboration and peer tutoring.

Use: This book is relative to my study because it focuses on the importance of collaborative learning which is emphasized Kean’s Writing Center. During collaborative learning, both participants are expected to engage in conversation however some coaches may talk more than the student. This may show who has authorship during the writing session.

Carino, Peter. "Power and Authority in Peer Tutoring." The Center Will Hold: Critical Perspectives on Writing Center Scholarship. Ed. Michael A. Pemberton and Joyce Kinkead. Logan: Utah State UP, 2003. 96-113.

Overview: This essay section of the textbook focuses on theoretical pedagogy in regards to authorship, tutoring and the role of collaboration in writing centers.

Use: This essay will provide me with a theories that I can apply to my observation in terms of the body language and authorship during collaborative tutoring sessions.

Jones, Kathleen. "What is Authority's Gender?" Revisioning the Political: Feminist Reconstructions of Traditional Concepts in Western Political Theory. Ed. Nancy Hirschmann and Christine Di Stefano. Boulder, CO: Westview Press, 1996. 75-93.

Overview: This article explores feminist theories on authorship.

Use: This article may help me understand how women are viewed in terms of authority which may explain the dynamics between female tutors and male students and male tutors with female students during tutoring sessions.

Sources I found useful (taken from JenieMarie’s Blog http://jeniemarie.blogspot.com/)

Philippot, Pierre, Ebooks Corporation. "Nonverbal Behavior in Clinical Studies". New York: Oxford University Press. 2003.

Overview:

Examines nonverbal communication during regular clinical sessions, specific clinical conditions, and negative life events.

Use:

Communication of stress to coach (due dates, professor expectations, etc.) and how it effects the session.

Amigone, Grace Ritz. “Writing Lab Tutors: Hidden Messages that

Matter.” 2.2 (1982): 24-30.

Overview:

Examines nonverbal communication during tutorials.

Use:

Comparing with some of the nonverbal communication I observed in the writing center.