The effects of tutoring in a cross-aged tutorial program on the self-concept of academic ability and the academic performance of university students at the California State University, Northridge

This quasi-experimental exploratory study has been designed and implemented to examine the change in self-concept of academic ability (SCAA) among university students, after participation as tutors, in a cross-aged tutorial program. While causal relationships cannot be demonstrated, differences between students can be used as bases for inference and future experimental studies. The study was conducted at the California State University, located in Northridge, and was affiliated with the Associated Students, Inc., Tutorial Project. At the time of the study there were 27,856 students enrolled in graduate and undergraduate programs at the university. Of these, 156 students enrolled as tutors in the Tutorial Project Program. Usable data were collected from 47 student tutors. Attitudinal data gathered from each participant was assessed via a modified version of the Michigan State University Self -Concept of Academic Ability Scale which was named the Educational Attitude Survey (EAS). In addition, each student's cumulative grade point average was obtained from the registrars office. All data were collected at each tutorial site location by classroom administration of the attitude questionnaire and the cover sheet. Analysis of variance and correlational t-test analyses revealed that the SCAA of the university students increased significantly after participation as tutors. Further analyses revealed that male tutors improved their perceived SCAA significantly, while women made no change in their SCAA. Correlational analyses indicated that there is a strong direct relationship between cumulative GPA and pretest SCAA scores. This correlation decreased after participation, indicating a change in perceived SCAA relative to cumulative GPA.