ABSTRACT

Since the 1960s, when federal funding for adult basic education (ABE) was first legislated, programs have been staffed, in part, by paid instructors (sometimes, but not necessarily, teachers certified in some area of kindergarten through 12th-grade education). However, volunteer tutors in the field predate this development and continue to play an extremely significant instructional role. Nationally, 42% of the personnel in programs that receive federal funding are volunteer (U.S. Department of Education Division of Adult Education and Literacy, 2000), although an indeterminate number of these are one-on-one tutors, as opposed to support staff of some kind. When literacy councils and community-based organizations that do not receive federal funding are included, it is evident that volunteers make up the majority of the ABE workforce. Yet, there is little research on the nature of teaching and learning transactions between volunteer tutors and adult literacy learners, and what constitutes quality one-to-one tutoring in ABE. As with all questions related to quality in ABE, a definition of what constitutes best practice is needed before quality can be supported, improved, or ensured. This chapter lays out basic areas of focus that research on volunteer tutoring in ABE will need to consider to begin to define quality in this sector of the field. It is based on an analysis of tutor training and actual tutoring in four diverse, volunteer, tutor-based programs. Although the concept of one best practice is problematic given the diversity of learners, volunteer tutors, and programs, a close examination of practice can begin to uncover critical gaps, areas of important concern, and existing strengths within a wide range of potential instructional approaches.