An Investigation of the Effects of Tutoring Preschool Handicapped Children Upon the Self-Concept and Academic Achievement of Fifth and Sixth Grade Elementary School Students
An Investigation of the Effects of Tutoring Preschool Handicapped Children Upon the Self-Concept and Academic Achievement of Fifth and Sixth Grade Elementary School Students
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Date
1985
Authors
Keener, Nancy D.
Advisor
Heidelbach, Ruth
Citation
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect
of tutoring preschool-age handicapped students upon the self-concept and academic achivement of upper elementary age students.
Forty fifth/sixth grad students were randomly assigned
to treatment and control groups. The twenty students in the
treatment group served for sixteen weeks as tutors to sixteen
preschool handicapped children two to five years of age.
This treatment group was divided into two different
subtreatment and control groups. This grouping made it
possible to study the effect first, of praise upon the tutor's
self-concept and/or academic performance and second, the
effect of the tutor planning, teaching and evaluating his/her
own teaching sessions.
The study also examined the effect upon self-concept
and academic progress of (1) the number of sessions taught,
(2) the initial attitude of the tutor toward his tutee, (3)
observable progress made by the tutee, and (4) initial low
self-concept and/or low academic performance. The classroom
teacher's estimate of the tutor's academic performance and
self-concept was compared to the student's estimate of
his/her self-concept and his/her academic performance.
Gains made following pre and post administrations of
The Piers-Harris Children's Self-Concept Scale and as
reflected by grade point averages provided the basic data for
the study.
Data was analyzed using a two-tailed t test, Pearson
Product Moment Correlations, and multiple linear regression.
Results of the analysis indicated that (1) students in
the treatment group maintained higher grades than students
not involved in tutoring a preschool student, (2) grades of
tutors who spent more time with their tutees dropped, (3)
lower pre self-concept scores were associated with higher
tutor self-concept gain scores, (4) the classroom teacher's
prejudgement of the student's self-concept correlated
significantly with the tutor's final self-concept score, and
(5) a high correlation existed between the teacher's
judgement of the tutor's self-concept and his/her judgement
of the tutor 's academic ability.
Noting the apparent strong influence of the classroom
teacher upon a student's concept of himself, we should
perhaps closely examine the strong initial correlation
between the teacher's view of the child's self-concept and
the level of academic performance within which she sees him
functioning. Perhaps it would be more reasonable to consider
providing students with several components to determine their
academic performance.
The most influential element with respect to both
grades and self-concept appeared to be an attachment factor
which occurred as a friendship developed between the tutor
and tutee.