DESCRIBING THE EXPERIENCES OF PEER TUTORS: A PHENOMENOLOGICAL STUDY OF UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS AT FEDERAL SERVICE ACADEMIES

Abstract

The purpose of this transcendental phenomenological study was to describe the experiences of undergraduate students who served as peer tutors (PT) at federal service academies. The following research question provided the framework for this study: How do undergraduate students describe their peer tutoring experiences in federal service academies? Further, I used subquestions in order for participants to fully describe the phenomenon. These included: What were participants’ expectations for being a PT prior to the start of this experience? In what ways were participant expectations met or not met during the peer tutoring experience? What expected and unexpected outcomes were realized by participants during this experience? How do participants describe their short-lived and enduring influences of their peer tutoring experience? Transition theory served as the theoretical framework as it postulates how one transitions during a change in one’s assumptive world. I collected data by seeking voluntary participation through purposeful sampling procedures including both criterion and intensity types. Identified participants recorded information pertinent to their experience through the use of journaling. Participants underwent individual interviews and participated in a focus group in order to describe their experiences. Data were analyzed using the transcendental phenomenological reduction process. Overall, participants described their need to help others, in order to do so, participants described steps they took to ensure they were successful and in doing so, they described the feeling that this role would continue beyond their time at their respective academies. Limitations, implications, and suggestions for further research are also addressed.