Open Access

Nora Peters

• In der vorliegenden Masterarbeit wurde eine Studie zur studentischen Schreibberatung am Schreibzentrum der Europa-Universität Viadrina vorgenommen. Aus problemzentrierten Interviews mit Rat suchenden Studierenden dieser Schreibberatung wurde mit der Qualitativen Inhaltsanalyse induktiv ein Kategoriensystem entwickelt, das Aufschluss darüber gibt, wie die Ratsuchenden die Schreibberatung wahrnehmen. Diese nehmen die Schreibberatung als hilfreich wahr, weil sie kurzfristig wirksam, professionell, persönlich, langfristig wirksam, hierarchiefrei und offen ist.
• The present thesis deals with the question: How do tutees experience peer tutoring in writing at the European University Viadrina? Peer tutoring in writing is a process-oriented approach of teaching the writing process that was developed in the 1970s in the USA. The intention of peer tutoring in writing is to support students in their academic writing and to develop their writing skills. On the one hand, its proceeding is process-oriented. Thus, peer tutors accompany their tutees through the whole writing process and incorporate all aspects of the writing process. On the other hand, it follows the principles of clientcentered counseling. In this manner, tutees take the center stage of the tutoring sessions and the tutors work with them together on finding solutions for their writing problems. In the last few years only some German universities started to offer peer tutoring in writing; one of them is the European University Viadrina in Frankfurt (Oder). That is why peer tutoring in writing has not been veryThe present thesis deals with the question: How do tutees experience peer tutoring in writing at the European University Viadrina? Peer tutoring in writing is a process-oriented approach of teaching the writing process that was developed in the 1970s in the USA. The intention of peer tutoring in writing is to support students in their academic writing and to develop their writing skills. On the one hand, its proceeding is process-oriented. Thus, peer tutors accompany their tutees through the whole writing process and incorporate all aspects of the writing process. On the other hand, it follows the principles of clientcentered counseling. In this manner, tutees take the center stage of the tutoring sessions and the tutors work with them together on finding solutions for their writing problems. In the last few years only some German universities started to offer peer tutoring in writing; one of them is the European University Viadrina in Frankfurt (Oder). That is why peer tutoring in writing has not been very well studied so far in Germany. This thesis shall make a contribution to the study of peer tutoring in writing by providing an insight into the experiences of tutees. This is being done through a qualitative research study in which I interviewed seven tutees and analyzed their answers by means of qualitative content analysis. The results of the analysis are: Firstly, all tutees interviewed experience peer tutoring in writing as helpful for their current writing project. Secondly, the reasons for the help they experienced are that peer tutoring sessions in writing are open/flexible, professional, personal/individual, free of hierarchy, and effective in a short and long time. Thirdly, I identified two possible disturbing factors. The first factor is the room (the writing center), where all tutor sessions take place. Open facilities where tutoring sessions in writing cannot be held in private could be irritating. The second factor is that peer tutors that are at the same time students could be seen as less competent in teaching writing by the tutees. In conclusion, the results show that peer tutoring in writing supports students and their academic writing. Moreover, it has a positive effect on students’ writing skills. Peer tutoring is most helpful if tutees get concrete tools for their current writing project and if they experience the tutor session as professional. Additionally, for the tutees it is important that they can talk about their writing, their topics, and their emotions during the tutor sessions. On the contrary, it is probably less helpful if the tutor session takes place in open facilities where other students are around. Furthermore, it is unhelpful when tutees think that the peer tutor is less professional in teaching writing.…