A Delayed Treatment Control Group Design Study of an After-School Online Tutoring Program in Reading

Introduction

The chapter concerns a year-long, national evaluation of Educate Online (EO), an online, at home, 1:1 online tutoring program aimed at improving reading performance for middle school students who are below grade level. The research was conducted by Rockman et al., a research, evaluation, and consulting company located in the United States. Participating students in the study received after-school instruction from teachers in real-time over Internet connections. A researcher discusses study findings, the methodological challenges of conducting research on online tutoring, the multiple perspectives for understanding the effectiveness of a supplemental education services program, and areas for additional research. The chapter discusses a key aspect of the evaluation, a delayed treatment control group design study to determine if involvement in the tutoring program has an effect upon student academic achievement in reading. The chapter explores two main research questions:

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  As indicated by standardized test scores, what is the effect of the online tutoring program on reading performance for students in middle school who are significantly below grade level in reading?

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  How, if at all, do differences in participants and amount of treatment mediate the effect?

Background

In this section, a literature review of student achievement in after-school programs (both face-to-face and online) is provided. This is followed by a discussion of the political and research context within which the research was conducted; this provides a rationale for the study.