Previous Article in Journal
Pre-Service Teachers’ Competencies in Road Safety Education: Design and Validation of a Questionnaire
 
 
Search for Articles:
Title / Keyword
Author / Affiliation / Email
Journal
Article Type
 
 
Advanced Search
 
Section
Special Issue
Volume
Issue
Number
Page
 
Journals
Education Sciences
Volume 16
Issue 1
10.3390/educsci16010142
education-logo
Submit to this Journal Review for this Journal Propose a Special Issue
► Article Menu

Article Menu

share Share announcement Help format_quote Cite
first_page
settings
Order Article Reprints
Font Type:
Arial Georgia Verdana
Font Size:
Aa Aa Aa
Line Spacing:
Column Width:
Background:
This is an early access version, the complete PDF, HTML, and XML versions will be available soon.
Article

The Power of Personalized Attention: Comparing Pedagogical Approaches in Small Group and One-on-One Early Literacy Tutoring

by
Hsiaolin Hsieh
*,
David Gormley
,
Carly D. Robinson
and
Susanna Loeb
Graduate School of Education, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Educ. Sci. 2026, 16(1), 142; https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci16010142 (registering DOI)
Submission received: 20 October 2025 / Revised: 19 December 2025 / Accepted: 13 January 2026 / Published: 16 January 2026
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Teaching and Learning in Early Childhood Language and Literacy Education)
Review Reports Versions Notes

Abstract

Tutoring has played a significant role in pandemic-related learning recovery, supporting student learning and engagement. This paper follows up on a recent randomized controlled trial (RCT) estimating that one-on-one virtual early literacy tutoring was nearly twice as effective as two-on-one tutoring for improving student learning. To better understand this gap, we analyze transcripts from 16,629 tutoring sessions from this RCT—which included over 3.7 million tutor utterances—using natural language processing and machine learning techniques. We explore how tutors allocate attention across content instruction, relationship building, and classroom management between one-on-one and two-on-one formats. While tutors dedicate similar time to content instruction and relationship building across both formats, students receiving one-on-one tutoring receive more attention and personalized support. To improve the effectiveness of two-on-one tutoring, it may be beneficial to equip tutors with strategies that engage multiple students simultaneously, thereby reducing downtime and minimizing the potential for disengagement.
Keywords: virtual tutoring; early literacy; relationship building; NLP; text analysis virtual tutoring; early literacy; relationship building; NLP; text analysis

Share and Cite

MDPI and ACS Style

Hsieh, H.; Gormley, D.; Robinson, C.D.; Loeb, S. The Power of Personalized Attention: Comparing Pedagogical Approaches in Small Group and One-on-One Early Literacy Tutoring. Educ. Sci. 2026, 16, 142. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci16010142

AMA Style

Hsieh H, Gormley D, Robinson CD, Loeb S. The Power of Personalized Attention: Comparing Pedagogical Approaches in Small Group and One-on-One Early Literacy Tutoring. Education Sciences. 2026; 16(1):142. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci16010142

Chicago/Turabian Style

Hsieh, Hsiaolin, David Gormley, Carly D. Robinson, and Susanna Loeb. 2026. "The Power of Personalized Attention: Comparing Pedagogical Approaches in Small Group and One-on-One Early Literacy Tutoring" Education Sciences 16, no. 1: 142. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci16010142

APA Style

Hsieh, H., Gormley, D., Robinson, C. D., & Loeb, S. (2026). The Power of Personalized Attention: Comparing Pedagogical Approaches in Small Group and One-on-One Early Literacy Tutoring. Education Sciences, 16(1), 142. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci16010142

Note that from the first issue of 2016, this journal uses article numbers instead of page numbers. See further details here.

Article Metrics

Article metric data becomes available approximately 24 hours after publication online.
Back to TopTop