Journal for Educators, Teachers and Trainers

Abstract

In this paper we study the positions that a group of teachers, from three Technical Elementary Schools from Tlaxcala, show towards the tutoring system implemented within the framework of the Comprehensive Reform of Elementary Education (RIEB) in Mexico, 2006. We take verbal speech produced along three focus group sessions as the object of analysis. The Qualitative Content Analysis technique is applied, on the basis of which we report findings on two issues that particularly concern to teachers who are working as-tutors: the attitude of the student before tutorship and the qualities that the tutors must show for an efficient and effective work. The dominant factor is the array of perceptions that the informants express overtly and covertly about the topic at issue, having their own experience, instead of the prescribed principles and concepts provided to them by the theory and taken from the assumption of a homogeneous state of affairs, which is the official discourse characteristic. It is made clear that there is an urgent need to revise the mechanisms that provide incentive to students so that that they get to look at mentoring as useful and necessary. Also, starting from the discussion held at each session, we emphasize the great responsibility that tutoring represents to the tutor, the same as the insufficient informative and formative resources on which he really counts to do his job. In short, we show the view of the protagonists as an element that has barely been taken into account when designing the educational policies. By doing this, we seek to contribute to the understanding and the comprehension of tutoring as a vital aspect of the everyday reality at the school.