How university students negotiate cognitive-social interactions and leverage cognitive tools for mobile peer tutoring

Abstract

This paper reports a case study of 20 university peer tutor-tutee dyads which engaged in online synchronous peer tutoring using MENTOR, a mobile application developed to support peer tutoring. Despite years of research, peer tutoring still attracts significant attention and an emerging area of research is online peer tutoring. This study aimed to contribute to research on mobile peer tutoring, which is still in its infancy stage. Underpinned by Vygotskian social-cultural learning and Wertsch's notion of mediated actions by tools, a qualitative analysis of the recorded tutees’ mobile phone screen during the peer tutoring sessions was conducted. Our findings show three different types of peer tutor-tutee social cognitive interactions, with varying degrees of tutees showing agency in seeking clarifications. While most tutees demonstrated some level of agency in seeking clarifications, fewer tutees showed agency in co-annotating on the canvas space. The findings also illuminate how the participants leveraged the canvas tools provided by MENTOR to create a shared understanding and cognitive convergence.

Implications for practice or policy:

• University teachers could engage students in peer tutoring using mobile applications
• Peer tutors could engage tutees by asking questions or pause for clarifications
• Tutees could play an active role in seeking clarifications or offer their ideas
• Mobile peer tutoring participants could leverage features of the technology to create a shared understanding