Perceptions of peer tutoring in academic writing

Abstract

This qualitative research included elements of educational ethnography and phenomenology to understand participants' perceptions of peer academic writing tutorials. Evidence suggest that both, tutor and mentor, perceive academic and social benefits; each one positively values in the other some personality traits, as well as other characteristics specifically related to the roles of apprentice and tutor. It is concluded that peer tutoring, understood as a partially asymmetrical relationship, can be a valuable strategy in writing centers that could favor the learning of textual production, if some conditions are considered, such as the ongoing education of tutors.