Examining Variation in How Guided AI Tutors Resolve Student Impasses

arXiv:2609.38346v1 Announce Type: new Abstract: When a student is stuck, a tutor faces the assistance dilemma: help given too early can hinder productive struggle, while help withheld too long leaves the student in a frustrating, persistent impasse (i.e., wheel spinning). Generative AI tutors increasingly use guardrails restricting answer-giving, yet little is known about how such tutors behave…