ABSTRACT

Chapter 5 begins the three-chapter analysis of our categories of microlevel tutoring strategies. This chapter focuses on instruction, used by tutors to provide and discuss advice. Two types of instruction, telling and suggesting, are two of the most frequent strategies overall. In telling, tutors are directive, presenting advice without much or any mitigation. In suggesting, tutors are also directive, but they mitigate their direction with face-saving negative politeness. The third instruction strategy, explaining and exemplifying, did not occur frequently in our data.