Cross-age peer tutors in asynchronous discussion groups: Exploring the impact of three types of tutor training on patterns in tutor support and on tutor characteristics Marijke De Smet, Hilde Van Keer * , Bram De Wever, Martin Valcke Ghent University, Department of Educational Studies, Belgium article info Article history: Received 29 July 2008 Received in revised form 15 July 2009 Accepted 2 November 2009 Keywords: Computer-mediated communication Cooperative/collaborative learning Interactive learning environments abstract This study was conducted in an authentic university setting with fourth-year Educational Sciences’ students operating as online peer tutors to facilitate freshman tutees’ online collaboration and knowledge construc- tion in a blended ‘‘Instructional Sciences” course. Taking into account prior research uncovering weaknesses in online peer tutor behaviour, the aim of the study was to explore the possibility to optimise the quality and the nature of online peer support. In this respect, the study examined the impact of three tutor training conditions (multidimensional support, model/coach, and control condition) on peer tutors’ actual tutor behaviour in asynchronous discussion groups and on tutors’ self-efficacy beliefs, perceived collective effi- cacy, and training evaluation. Quantitative content analysis was applied to study online peer tutor behav- iour. More specifically, two coding schemes were used focusing respectively on the occurrence of different e-moderating activities and on the evolution from modeling to coaching behaviour. Tutors’ self-efficacy beliefs, perceived collective efficacy, and training evaluation were assessed by means of questionnaires. The results indicated that, compared to the control condition, in both the multidimensional support and the model/coach training the occurrence of social postings decreased whereas the presence of support stim- ulating tutees’ personal development increased. Regarding the evolution from modeling to coaching behav- iour, tutors started as a model in both experimental training conditions. Further, it appears that the experimental training conditions differ significantly with regard to peer tutors’ self-efficacy beliefs on fos- tering knowledge construction and with regard to the tutors’ personal training evaluation. Overall, it can be concluded that an explicit tutor training appears to determine the adoption of the expected types of tutoring activities. In this respect, providing novice peer tutors with guidelines by means of a specific training is fruit- ful for realising more adequate online tutoring behaviour and optimising self-efficacy beliefs regarding tutoring competences. Ó 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. 1. Introduction The present study focuses on blending cross-age peer tutoring with asynchronous discussion groups in higher education in order to an- swer the need for guidance and structure in computer-supported collaborative learning (CSCL) environments as suggested by numerous researchers (e.g., Falchikov, 2001; Rickard, 2004; Salmon, 2000). Peer tutoring can be defined as ‘‘people from similar social groupings who are not professional teachers, helping each other to learn, and learning themselves by teaching” (Topping, 1996, p. 322). A more capa- ble, knowledgeable, and experienced peer with a supportive role is called the ‘tutor’, while less experienced students receiving help from a tutor are called ‘tutees’ (Topping, 1998). Cross-age peer tutoring refers to older or more knowledgeable students tutoring younger students (Gautrey, 1990; Gumpel & Frank, 1999). Peer tutoring as a certain type of collaborative learning was initially studied within face-to-face learning environments in compulsory education (Höysniemi, Hämäläinen, & Turkki, 2003; Verba, 1998; Wright & Cleary, 2006). It is only since the turn of the century that the research field of CSCL has been discovered as a powerful learning environment for introducing peer tutoring on an organised educational basis. Thus far, research about online peer tutoring remains rather scarce (Cheng & Ku, 2009; de Vries et al., 2005; Höysniemi et al., 2003; Jones, Garralda, Li, & Lock, 2006; McLuckie & Topping, 2004). It is, however, expected that in the near future the current technological and 0360-1315/$ - see front matter Ó 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. doi:10.1016/j.compedu.2009.11.002 * Corresponding author. Address: Ghent University, Department of Educational Studies, Henri Dunantlaan 2, 9000 Gent, Belgium. Tel.: +32 9 264 86 62; fax: +32 9 264 86 88. E-mail address: Hilde.VanKeer@UGent.be (H.V. Keer). Computers & Education 54 (2010) 1167–1181 Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Computers & Education journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/compedu