Research Project Rough Draft

This is what I have so far, it's not finished but here it is. I changed topics as you can tell compared to my research plan in the previous post.

Differences in Body Language of “Prepared” Students vs. “Uncertain” Students in Tutoring Sessions

Understanding body language is crucial to understanding communication between tutors and students in the Writing Center. Because messages are sometimes harder to convey through words, we look for clues in the way the message is presented through movements and gestures of the body to fully comprehend what the speaker is saying. Although the tutor and student communicate verbally as well, the majority of communication is conveyed through nonverbal communication. The use of words is not enough to make sure that a message is interpreted correctly. The use of body language is crucial to making the meaning of our words clear. Body Language is also connected with spoken language and a whole pattern of behavior from a person (Van Marwijk 1).
According to communications professor Albert Mehrabain, the emotional meaning of a message is expressed mostly through nonverbal communication (postures, gestures, etc.),in percentage fifty-five percent. Thirty eight percent comes from the use of paralanguage, or the use of the voice, and only seven percent is expressed through explicit verbal communication ( Holden 4).
In total I observed or conducted about six tutoring sessions. The majority of these sessions took place in a classroom setting or the Writing Center where the student and or the pair that I observed were in close proximity to each other. My notes focused mainly on postures and gestures that I observed during the session. My post observation notes consisted of potential explanations and meanings of what these actions meant.
In my observations and personal reflections, it was interesting to discover that the students’ use of body language varied depending on how “prepared” they were in coming to into a tutoring session. My notes and reflections of my observations consisted mostly of the differences in body language in tutoring sessions. While noting the difference in body language between tutor and student, I also did a comparison of body language between different students I observed. I considered some students “prepared”, and what I meant by this was that they entered the tutoring session with the materials needed to develop their work further, had a decent idea of what changes needed to be made to their paper and what would be accomplished in the session. There were also students that I considered “uncertain”. By this I meant that the student may or may not have had materials needed to further develop their work, but also did not have clear expectations of what would be accomplished during the tutoring session. These students were more likely to be dependent on the tutor guide the progression of the session versus the “prepared” students, who sometimes took complete control of the progression of the session. Because the students are unclear of where to go they look to the tutor for guidance. Thomas Newkirk discusses the roles of the student and the teacher (or tutor in this case). The teacher’s responsibility is to respond to the student, to evaluate and suggest. However, the tutor must also encourage the student to take initiative and to take control of the paper. The student’s recognizes that the teacher is a member of the educational community and looks at the tutor in a similar light. In their eyes, the tutor can come up with better material than them, putting the tutor in the position of authority (Newkirk 302-303).

Tutoring Session #1 – 10/27/08
Melody-student Carrie-tutor
Melody is a “prepared” student. She entered the tutoring session and reminded Carrie that they have met together before, in order to establish a connection/rapport with the tutor. Melody immediately went into her work, clearly stating what the objective was. She noted that this work was not an assignment for a class, but just a response to a publication she read. From this I concluded that this was a cause for which she Melody was concerned about. She read her essay in a confident dynamic voice, placing emphasis on certain parts of the essay. Her voice changed in volume while she was reading, but she remained at a level that was reasonably loud. As she read she constantly looked up at Carrie. Carrie listened intently and watched as Melody read. They kept eye contact every time Melody looked up. Throughout this session Melody did not place any part of her body between herself and Carrie, keeping interaction open with the tutor. She lead the session and did most of the talking pausing only to answer the few questions Carrie asked. They maintained eye contact throughout the entire session and Carrie gave Melody positive praise at the end of the session.

Tutoring Session #2 - 11/19/08
Sarah-student Roger-tutor
Sarah is another “prepared” student. She came to the session with a draft of her work and an idea of what needed to be accomplished in the session. However in this session, Sarah remained closed to Roger at times. By closed I mean that she often blocked open communication between them by keeping her arm between them limiting open interaction and communication with Roger. This could be because she was nervous. However, Roger would also block open communication by crossing his arms in front of him and moving away from Sarah, particularly after asking a question. A majority of the session consisted of Roger trying to build rapport with Sarah, and he succeeded many times in getting her more relaxed. Particularly after they share a laugh she would remove the body part blocking open communication between them for a while, but would eventually close up again. Nevertheless Roger would keep prodding for more examples to add to her work and give helpful suggestions. In the end, although she may have been shy or nervous, she accomplished much progress with her work and was happy with the session.
In my own tutoring experience, I encountered “prepared” students and “uncertain” students. What I noticed was that “uncertain” students were more closed and often blocked open communication with me. Perhaps this was because they were nervous, or did not have the materials they needed, or needed to change their entire paper. When there was an uncertainty about what was going to be done to the paper and in the session, the student’s body often did not have open communication with mine and they would not maintain eye contact. The body language of “prepared” students and “uncertain” students I tutored were dramatically different in terms of attentiveness, and overall communication with me.