Reverse-Role Tutoring: The Effects of Handicapped Students Tutoring Regular Class Students

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of having handicapped students tutor younger, nonhandicapped children in reading. Included in the study were 78 fourth- through sixth-grade learning disabled or behaviorally disordered students attending either a resource or a self-contained special education class and 82 nonhandicapped first graders. Students enrolled in a resource program were randomly assigned to an experimental (tutor) or control (nontutor) group, whereas students in self-contained, special education classes were assigned randomly by class to either group. First graders were randomly assigned to either the experimental (tutee) or control (nontutee) group. Prior to the tutoring, all students were individually tested on their reading ability; 3 attitudinal (self-esteem) measures were also administered to all handicapped students. Following 12 weeks of tutoring, these measures were again administered to all students participating in the study. Multivariate analyses of covariance indicated that tutors and tutees scored significantly higher on both criterion and standardized reading tests than students assigned to control groups. Although overall self-esteem scores were similar for both groups, analyses showed that tutors increased more than control students in their perceptions of their "general academic ability" and their "reading/spelling" ability.