Designing and evaluating a mobile peer tutoring application: A cultural historical activity theory approach

Abstract

This study focuses on university students’ experience of peer tutoring supported by a mobile application called MENTOR (Mobile Education Networked Tutoring On Request) that was developed by the research team. The development of the mobile application was underpinned by theories related to self-directed learning, self-regulated learning, students’ help-seeking behaviors, as well as Vygotsky’s social-cultural learning theory. Using cultural-historical activity theory (CHAT) as the framework, this study examines the affordances of the mobile application, the student’s perception of the application, the uptake of affordances, and the contradictions identified through CHAT. The participants identified tutor’s factors (e.g. tutoring skills) and technological factors (e.g. annotatable canvas) that facilitated the process, and appreciated the affordances of convenience, flexibility, physical safety, and psychological safety of the mobile peer tutoring, especially during the COVID 19 situation. A few contradictions were identified through CHAT, which served as the impetus for improvement. Among these are the novelty of mobile peer tutoring and the lack of cues about turn-taking. Some participants did not understand the requirement to indicate the level of cognitive processing. This study contributes to the design and implementation of mobile technology in supporting peer tutoring, an under-researched topic.