Does Tutoring Develop Reflexivity?

Abstract

Research objectives (aims) and problem(s): The article presents the results of research on the development of students’ reflective thinking. The purpose of the research was to determine the level of students’ reflexivity when they began participating in a tutoring project, and then to verify it after the project ended. Research methods: The first phase of research was conducted in October 2020. Two groups of students took part in the research: those undergoing tutoring (n = 70) and those not undergoing tutoring (n = 77). The tool used was the Polish adaptation of the Reflective Thinking Questionnaire. The four scales of the questionnaire are habitual action, understanding, reflection and critical reflection. The research – in the same groups – was repeated in 2023. Structure of the article: The article has a classic layout. First, the concepts of tutoring and reflectivity in education are presented. Then the research method and results are presented. Research findings and their impact on the development of educational sciences: The importance of the tutoring method for the development of reflexivity was recognised by analysing the results of both the tutored and non-tutored groups. The tutored group developed in terms of reflexivity and critical reflection, but also in habitual action. Students who did not participate in tutoring did not make such progress. The research also established relationships between other educational and sociocultural variables and students’ levels of reflexivity. Academic performance, knowledge of foreign languages and parents’ education were taken into account. Conclusions and/or recommendations: The research made it possible to better identify the attributes of the most talented students, and to further identify possible opportunities for their development. An additional added value of this study is that the participants will be better able to understand themselves in terms of development. Those from the tutoring group were especially interested in their individual results.

Keywords

• reflectiveness
• academic tutoring
• reflective thinking
• student development