Do Boys or Girls Make Better Reading Tutors? An Empirical Study to Examine Children's Effectiveness as Tutors Using the Pause,Prompt and Praise Procedures

This study aimed to assess the effects of single‐sex and cross‐gender pairings in the context of the ‘pause, prompt and praise’ procedures for improving reading, the effects of boys as tutors compared with girls as tutors and those of choice in sex of tutor. Four groups were involved in the study: boys tutoring boys, girls tutoring girls, girls tutoring boys and boys tutoring girls. The tutees were 24 Year 7 pupils and the tutors were 24 Year 10 pupils from a large suburban comprehensive school in the Midlands of England. The reading age of each of the tutees was measured both before and after the intervention so that gains in reading age could be evaluated. The results showed that peers could be successfully trained to use the pause, prompt and praise techniques and that these were effective in raising the reading standards of tutees in all four groups. However, little evidence was found to suggest that any of the pairings was any more successful than the others or that the sex of the tutor had any significant effect on the tutoring outcome. On the other hand, however, there was some evidence that choice of tutor sex might have an effect on gains in tutee's measured reading ages     

Science on Saturday Morning: children's perceptions of science in educational and non‐educational cartoons

The Federal Communications Commission is considering whether to strengthen the implementation of the Children's Television Act of 1990, which requires broadcasters to air educational and informational programs for children. Some broadcasters have opposed such measures, arguing that not enough children will watch educational programs. This argument assumes that children distinguish between educational and non‐educational programs, find educational programs less appealing, and consequently are unlikely to watch them. The present study tests these assumptions directly, through a comparison of two animated programs set in prehistoric times, Cro (an educational program about technology) and The Flintstones (a non‐educational program). Results indicated that Cro’s technology content was salient to children but, contrary to the above assumptions, children did not distinguish between the programs on the basis of their educational content, and both programs were highly appealing.