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The Effect of Student-Tutor Ratios: Experimental Evidence from a Pilot Online Math Tutoring Program

Matthew A. Kraft,
Virginia S. Lovison

Budget constraints and limited supplies of local tutors have caused many K-12 school districts to pivot from individual tutoring in-person toward small-group tutoring online to expand access to personalized instruction. We conduct a field experiment to explore the effect of increasing student-tutor ratios on middle school students’ math achievement and growth during an online tutoring program. We leverage a novel feature of the program where tutors often taught individual and small-group tutoring sessions, allowing them to directly compare their experiences across these settings. Both experimental estimates and tutor survey responses suggest 1:1 tutoring is more effective than 3:1 tutoring online. Tutoring small groups in an online format presents additional challenges for personalizing instruction, developing relationships, fostering participation, and managing student behavior.

Keywords
Tutoring, Student-Tutor Ratios, Math, Randomized Control Trial
Education level
K-12 Education
Topics
Student Learning
Tags
Tutoring,
Mathematics education
Download 06/2024
Document Object Identifier (DOI)
10.26300/87ma-e949
EdWorkingPaper suggested citation:
Kraft, Matthew A., and Virginia S. Lovison. (). The Effect of Student-Tutor Ratios: Experimental Evidence from a Pilot Online Math Tutoring Program. (EdWorkingPaper: -976). Retrieved from Annenberg Institute at Brown University: https://doi.org/10.26300/87ma-e949

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