February 5, 2009
TO: Andrew LaManque, De Anza Research
FROM: Sharon Su, Student Assistant
SUBJECT: Tutoring Survey
This survey was conducted in the 2
nd
week of November through December 2008.
This survey was sent out via e-mail to 1,140 students, 640 from Math 212 and 500 from
Math 114.
For 41 students who responded to this survey:
34% (14 out of 41) were male; 66% (27 out of 41) were female.
63% (25 out of 41) of them ranged between 18 and 24 in their age.
42% (17 out of 41) were Asian/South-Asian/Asian-Pacific Islander (API).
51% (21 out of 41) did not use any free tutoring services at De Anza College.
63% (26 out of 41) chose “Yes” for the question: “Did you, or would you go get
free tutoring at the tutorial center as a result of hearing about it from your
professor?”
42% (17 out of 41) responded “Try to work on it on my own” to the question:
“What do you do when you struggle with an assignment?”
The top three reasons that make it hard for them to go to tutoring were no time,
having issues with tutors and others reasons.
1. Please indicate the following information about yourself:
Sex:
Responses
N
%
Male 14 34%
Female 27 66%
Total 41 100%
Age:
Responses
N
%
18-24 25 63%
25-31 4 10%
32-38 2 5%
39-45 4 10%
46-52 3 7%
53-59 2 5%
Total 40 100%
Total Missing
1
GPA:
Responses
N
%
3.5-4.0 8 19%
2.99-3.49 11 27%
2.5-2.98 7 18%
1.99-2.49 1 3%
Under 1.98 2 5%
Others 3 3 8%
Total 40 100%
Total Missing 1
Cumulative GPA:
Responses
N
%
3.5-4.0 6 26%
2.99-3.49 8 35%
2.5-2.98 4 17%
1.99-2.49 1 4%
Under 1.98 1 4%
Others 3 3 14%
Total 23 100%
Total Missing 18
Sex:
Female, 66%
Male, 34%
Age:
0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%
18-24
25-31
32-38
39-45
46-52
53-59
GPA:
0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%
3.5-4.0
2.5-2.98
Under 1.98
Cumulative GPA:
0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%
3.5-4.0
2.5-2.98
Under 1.98
Tutoring Survey, Fall 2008 De Anza Research
Units taken this quarter:
Responses
N
%
0.5-5.5 5 13%
5.6-10.5 8 21%
10.6-15.5 17 45%
15.6-21.5 8 21%
Total 38 100%
Total Missing 3
Ethnicity:
Responses
N
%
Asian/South-Asian/API 17 42%
White/Caucasian 10 24%
Latino-American 7 18%
Others 5 13%
Native American 1 3%
Total 40 100%
Total Missing 1
2. Are you the first in your family to attend college?
Responses
N
%
Yes 13 32%
No 28 68%
Total 41 100%
3. Have you used any free tutoring services at De
Anza College?
Responses
N
%
Yes 20 49%
No 21 51%
Total 41 100%
Ethnicity:
0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%
Asian/South-Asian/API
White/Caucasian
Latino-American
Others
Native American
Are you the first in your family to attend college?
No, 68%
Yes, 32%
Have you used any free tutoring services at De Anza College?
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
Yes No
Units taken this quarter:
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
0.5-5.5 5.6-10.5 10.6-15.5 15.6-21.5
Tutoring Survey, Fall 2008 De Anza Research
4. Did you use any tutoring service at your previous
high school?
Responses
N
%
Yes 12 29%
No 29 71%
Total 41 100%
5. Did you, or would you go get free tutoring at the tutorial
center as a result of hearing about it from your professor?
Responses
N
%
Yes 26 63%
No 4 10%
Unsure 11 27%
Total 41 100%
6a. I get more work done studying alone than with a tutor:
Responses
N
%
5 (Always) 10 24%
4 7 18%
3 19 46%
2 4 10%
1 (Never) 1 2%
Total 41 100%
6b. Studying with a tutor helps me understand things better:
Responses
N
%
5 (Always) 17 41%
4 15 37%
3 4 10%
2 4 10%
1 (Never) 1 2%
Total 41 100%
Did you use any tutoring service at your previous high
school?
No, 71%
Yes, 29%
Did you, or would you go get free tutoring at the tutorial
center as a result of hearing about it from your professor?
Yes, 63%
No, 10%
Unsure, 27%
I get more work done studying alone than with a tutor:
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
5 (Always) 4 3 2 1 (Never)
Studying with a tutor helps me understand things better:
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
5 (Always) 4 3 2 1 (Never)
Tutoring Survey, Fall 2008 De Anza Research
6c. Getting tutoring helps me improve my grades:
Total 41 100%
6d. Going to tutoring is worth my time:
Total 41 100%
7. What do you do when you struggle with an assignment?
Total Missing 1
Total 41 100%
you and the tutors at the tutorial center?
Responses
N
%
5 (Always) 14 35%
4 11 27%
3 12 29%
237%
1 (Never) 1 2%
Responses
N
%
5 (Always) 24 59%
4 6 15%
3 7 17%
212%
1 (Never) 3 7%
Responses
N
%
Try to work on it on my own 17 42%
Get help from the tutorial center 8 20%
Get help from the professor 4 10%
Get help from friends 9 23%
Other 2 5%
Total 40 100%
8. Do you feel that there is a cultural barrier between
Responses
N
%
Yes 6 15%
No 25 61%
Not sure 10 24%
Getting tutoring helps me improve my grades:
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
5 (Always) 4 3 2 1 (Never)
Going to tutoring is worth my time:
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
5 (Always) 4 3 2 1 (Never)
What do you do when you struggle with an assignment?
0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%
Try to work on it on my own
Get help from the tutorial center
Get help from the professor
Get help from friends
Other
Do you feel that there is a cultural barrier between you and
the tutors at the tutorial center?
No, 61%
Not sure, 24%
Yes, 15%
Tutoring Survey, Fall 2008 De Anza Research
Total 16 100%
Total 60 100%
center despite the cultural barrier?
for you to go to tutoring? (Free response)
9. Do you think that you can work well at the tutorial
Responses
N
%
Yes 8 50%
No 1 6%
Not sure 6 38%
Not Applicable 1 6%
10. Could you please list the top three reasons that makes it hard
Responses
N
%
No time (NT) 22 37%
Issues with myself (IM) 8 13%
Don't seem to help (DH) 5 8%
Issues with Tutors (IT) 9 15%
Issues with the Tutorial Center (TC) 10 17%
Others (O) 6 10%
Do you think that you can work well at the tutorial center
despite the cultural barrier?
0%
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
Yes No Not sure Not Applicable
Could you please list the top three reasons that makes it hard for you to
go to tutoring? (Free response)
0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%
No time (NT)
Issues with myself (IM)
Don't seem to help (DH)
Issues with Tutors (IT)
Issues with the Tutorial Center (TC)
Others (O)
Tutoring Survey, Fall 2008 De Anza Research
*Free responses for #10:
the tutorial center so I can't do my work -Tutors have different availability than me (IT, TC)
Tutoring Survey, Fall 2008 De Anza Research
I work full time and can go there only in the evenings after 6 p.m. the tutorial center hours is not enough
and not worth my travelling that far to go to the tutorial center for 30 mins one day a week. Keeping it
open till 7 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays does not help. Suggest that you keep tutorial center open
till 7:30 p.m. or 8 p.m. instead of 7 p.m. and all 4 days of the week. If tutorial center help can be available
on Saturdays mornings or evenings that would be great too for those of who work 5 days work. Thanks (NT, IM,
TC)
Tutoring one on one makes me nervous I can't concentrate well Tutoring seems to be a bit bored (IM)
none (O)
i work full time and long days. It's very hard to get to the ctr before closing. (NT, TC)
Too busy, Lazy, and Not motivated to go (NT, IM)
My job, family, too much time spent doing homework. (NT, O, IM)
Never had or felt the need at the moment. (DH)
School Work girlfriend (NT, O)
I work and go to school, hard to find time. I have a person in a class ahead of me so that makes it easy to
find someone to help. I think that you need to learn the same way the tutor learns or it's difficult to
understand their method. (NT, IT)
The timeing, I don't mind having someone helping me but sometimes people do have an attidude about
helping you, and I like to strugle on my own it makes me feel that I did a great job and I reward myself for
doing that. I know that going to the tutorial center helps a litte, but sometimes I like to do it myself. It
does not mean that I will not go but it depends on what it is. (NT, IM)
For one I do not know where it is located. Sometimes it is hard to understand someone who has a really
deep accent and it becomes frustrating. Other times it is because of my schedule. (TC, IT, NT)
SCHEDULING CONFLICT (NT)
I do attend and I am very happy with who I have. My only thing (nothing to do with the center) I work full
time. So I have adjust my work schedule which is not always easy. But I am making it work.THANK YOU (NT)
time, tutors never seem to help, and its never set in stone (NT, DH, TC)
no time,never thought of it,and think i do better by myself, if i have questions i will ask friends of mine. (NT, O, DH)
don't have time. sometimes it doesn't help. tutor is impatient. (NT, DH, IT)
Don't have time. I don't know where to go. BUT I REALLLYYY NEED A TUTOR FOR MATH. (NT, TC)
none. The tutor center plays a very important role in my academic success. I go every day that I am on
campus to get help. (O)
not really open myself, kinda stuck up, and lazy to do something with people! (IM, IT)
Times Being able to choose a tutor would be nice (NT, IT)
1. time schedule 2. homework 3. work/ job (NT, IM)
1. Tutors with great command of the subjects are not always at the center, because they are students
and have classes to attend, and 2. It would be great if center posted by subject and tutor's name some
kind of a schedule this will help gauge my own schedule to fit the tutor's availability. In response to Q3,
this quarter is my first time using DeAnza tutoring center. (IT)
time management interest atmosphere (NT, IM, TC)
Schedule Conflict. However, I found it very hard this quarter to get help in my Math 114 / Algebra 3 class.
I attended drop in tutoring 7 times, and only got help the first time I went early in the morning. The other
six times I went in the afternoon, and the tutors usually would tell me they had to leave. And when I
would call, the center, they would not schedule me for 1 on 1 appointments, so I stopped going. (NT, IT, TC)
I went their once, the services was good but I no need it because I have the help at home. I heard from
some friends who used the services that the tutorial did help some of them. (DH)
Dance practice -in between classes -going home alone late at night the fact that my classes ends late. (NT)
Sometimes I can't understand what my tutor is saying due to heavy accent -Sometimes its too noisy in
I work full time, so sometimes I cannot make it. But other than that the tutoring center is great! (NT, O)
Tutoring Survey, Fall 2008 De Anza Research
1) Class Schedule 2) Lack of free time 3) Other (NT, O)
Lack or politeness Cultural differencs lack of tutors for algebra (IT, TC)
no time. no time. no time. (NT)
cganging rooms to meet due to hours of operation. Although, I understand most of my assignments it
helps with my confidence with the class. I am very happy with being able to access someone and not feel
stupid or to old. (TC)
Tutoring Survey
De Anza College Tutoring Survey
This survey will be used for research purposes only.
All responses will remain confidential and any data that is reported will be at the aggregate level.
Thank you for your participating.
De Anza College Research
1. Please indicate the following information about yourself:
Sex:
Male
Female
Other
Age:
GPA:
Cumulative GPA:
Units taken this
quarter:
Ethnicity:
Latino-American
African-American
Asian/South-Asian/API
Native American
http://www.research.fhda.edu/cgi-bin/rws3.pl?FORM=tutoring (1 of 3) [1/28/2009 12:29:55 PM]
Tutoring Survey
White / Caucasian
Others
2. Are you the first in your family to attend college?
Yes No
3. Have you used any free tutoring services at De Anza College?
Yes No
4. Did you use any tutoring service at your previous high school?
Yes No
5. Did you, or would you go get free tutoring at the tutorial center as a result of hearing about it
from your professor?
Yes
No
Unsure
6. On a scale from 1 to 5, "1" being "Never" and "5" being "Always", please
choose the closest response for the following statements:
1 2 3 4 5
I get more work done studing alone than with a tutor:
Studying with a tutor helps me understand things better:
Getting tutoring helps me improve my grades:
Going to tutoring is worth my time:
7. What do you do when you struggle with an assignment?
I would try to work on it on my own
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Tutoring Survey
I would get help from the tutorial center
I would get help from friends
I would get help from the professor
Other
8. Do you feel that there is a cultural barrier between you and the tutors at the tutorial center?
Yes
No
Not Sure
9. Do you think that you can work well at the tutorial center despite the cultural barrier?
Yes
No
Not Sure
Not Applicable
10. Could you please list the top three reasons that makes it hard for you to go
to tutoring?
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Reset
Dear Andrew,
We are conducting a short survey (10 questions) about tutoring at De Anza College and
invite you to take part in this important research to learn about students' usage of the free
tutorial services at De Anza College.
The information will help the college decide how to better deliver tutorial services. Please
answer all questions to the best of your ability, and thank you very much for your
participation.
The survey can be completed at:
www.research.fhda.edu/cgi-bin/rws3.pl?FORM=tutoring
If you have any questions about the survey, please contact Dang Le at:
dang.le.875@google.com. Again, thank you for your help.
Sincerely,
Investigating Team:
Sarah Kim
Allen Kim
Victor Hong
Dang Le
P.S.
This survey is being coordinated by the De Anza College Office of Institutional
Research. The students listed above have developed the survey and will analyze the
aggregate results as part of a class assignment. No identifying information (such as email
address, etc) is being released to students. For additional information contact:
Andrew LaManque, Ph.D. at lamanqueandrew@fhda.edu.