Peer Tutoring

Description of the Strategy

Children routinely exchange information with slightly older or more knowledgeable peers, transmitting information and modeling practical skills. Peer tutoring refers to a student instructing a classmate under teacher supervision. Most applications of peer tutoring stretch the concept of “peer” to include tutoring between students of approximately the same age or grade level and cross-age or reverse-role tutoring, in which tutoring pairs may differ considerably in age or academic status.

While the general conception of peer tutoring suggests that the tutor be more competent than the tutee, in many peer tutoring models, tutors and tutees consist of randomly assigned same-age classmates or sameage low achievers. Likewise, while most peer-tutoring models utilize dyads, other models utilize teams of three or more members. Many peer-tutoring strategies also include some type of role reversal wherein students serve as both tutors and tutees. In fact, at least 12 possible organizational dimensions of peer tutoring exist, including curriculum content, group size, within or between institutions, within or across year groups, sameor cross-ability matching, fixed or reciprocal roles, timing, location, characteristics of helpers, characteristics of the tutee, objectives, voluntary or compulsory participation, and the use of reinforcement.

Common Features

Common features of virtually all peer tutoring models include (a) tutors ask questions or pose problems; (b) tutees give preliminary answers; (c) answers are compared to some standard, and tutees receive feedback on the quality or correctness of answers; (d) tutors prompt, cue, or provide correct responses; and (e) tutees produce or practice correct answers.

Theoretical Underpinnings

Peer tutoring is one of the best researched and established educational practices. Many elements of effective instruction can be provided through the systematic use of peer-tutoring strategies.

Student Involvement. Academic achievement is related directly to the amount of time students spend actually engaged in manipulating and responding to important instructional content. Involvement is influenced by two instructional variables that can be manipulated through peer tutoring: (a) allocated time—the amount of time scheduled for a particular subject, topic, or skill and (b) engaged time—the amount of time that students are actively engaged with academic content.

High Rates of Accurate Practice. Students benefit from repeated practice on material to the point of overlearning. Furthermore, students must perform learning tasks successfully; that is, with 80% to 90% accuracy, if they are to benefit instructionally. New content should be introduced only when mastery criteria for previous information or skills are reached. The rate or pacing of instruction must be high to maintain student engagement. Peer tutoring can increase the amount of time students are engaged successfully in relevant instructional pursuits.

Clear Instructional Purpose. Students, especially those with learning difficulties, are often confused about what they must actually know. In designating content for peer tutoring, the teacher has identified clearly which knowledge and skills are important and has provided a format for allowing pupils to interact directly with such content.

Alignment of Objectives, Practice, and Testing. The amount of content over which students are tested varies widely and has been estimated to range from 4% to 95%. However, when teachers use their instructional objectives to develop tutoring content, and the material practiced during peer tutoring appears on tests, then objectives, practice activities, and test content are aligned. When practiced material appears on tests, the activity is reinforced.

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