Author Type

Graduate Student

Date of Award

Fall 11-12-2025

Document Type

Dissertation

Publication Status

Version of Record

Submission Date

December 2025

Department

Curriculum, Culture, and Educational Inquiry

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Thesis/Dissertation Advisor [Chair]

Sabrina F. Sembiante

Abstract

This action research study investigates how I, as a tutor, implemented affective instructional practices to support early adolescent tutees’ self-efficacy, tutor-tutee relationship, and mathematical knowledge/performance. Data were collected from multiple sources, including journal entries, video recordings, semi-structured interviews, report card evaluations, and Florida Assessment of Student Thinking (FAST) scores. These sources were used to gain comprehensive insight into how my affective instructional strategies were embedded within mathematics tutoring sessions with five early adolescent tutees between the ages of 10 and 12. A constant comparative analysis was employed to examine the data, with careful attention given to the four dimensions of trustworthiness—credibility, transferability, dependability, and confirmability—to ensure rigor and validity. Findings revealed that affective instructional practices supported tutees’ self-efficacy, mathematical performance, and the tutor-tutee relationship through three key approaches: 1) intentionally cultivating opportunities for competency—such as simplification, scaffolded questioning, repetition, prompting, success-oriented inquiry, encouraging explanations, and role-reversal—may support early adolescent tutees’ self-efficacy, while concurrently promoting tutees’ mathematic knowledge/performance, 2) incorporating games into tutoring sessions may support the development of the tutor-tutee relationship while simultaneously enhancing early adolescent tutees’ mathematic knowledge/performance, and 3) check-ins (i.e., emotional, emotional-academic, and academic check-ins) may assist in seamlessly transitioning between fostering the tutor-tutee relationship and supporting early adolescent tutees’ self-efficacy and mathematic knowledge/performance. This study contributes to the field by shining light onto a range of affective dimensions and instructional practices that have been less explored within tutoring contexts. The findings offer meaningful implications for tutors and educators, particularly for those who provide individualized or small group instruction and aim to create learning experiences that are both emotionally supportive and academically beneficial for tutees.

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