Peer-assisted learning interventions with elementary school students: A meta-analytic review.

A meta-analytic review of group comparison design studies evaluating peer-assisted learning (PAL) interventions with elementary school students produced positive effect sizes (ESs) indicating increases in achievement (unweighted mean ES = 0.59, SD = 0.90; weighted ES, d = 0.33, p     

An evaluation of the relative effectiveness of NCTM standards-based interventions for low-achieving urban elementary students.

The effects of 2 instructional methods, problem solving and peer collaboration, were evaluated for enhancing mathematics achievement, academic motivation, and self-concept of 104 low-achieving 3rd and 4th graders. Students were assigned randomly to 1 of 4 conditions: control, problem solving, peer collaboration, and problem solving?+?peer collaboration. Students in all conditions met twice weekly for 30-min mathematics sessions over a 7-week period. Results indicate that problem-solving students performed significantly higher than their counterparts who did not receive problem solving on measures of computation and word problems and reported higher levels of academic motivation, academic self-concept, and social competence. Students who participated in peer collaboration scored higher on measures of computation and word problems and reported higher levels of academic motivation and social competence than did students who did not participate in peer collaboration. No significant interaction effect was found. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Reciprocal peer tutoring: An analysis of "teacher" and "student" interactions as a function of training and experience.

Investigated the relationship between peer-tutoring interactions of dyads with experience in a reciprocal peer tutoring (RPT) program in mathematics, vs dyads with no experience in RPT. It was hypothesized that students who participated in the RPT condition would exhibit significantly greater amounts of behaviors associated with effective peer teaching than students in the Practice Control (PC) condition and that these behaviors would be associated with mathematics achievement and student reports of behavioral conduct and social competence. 40 academically at-risk African Americans (aged 9.4–12.1 yrs old) from an urban elementary school were randomly assigned to either RPT or PC conditions. Group difference data revealed that RPT Ss displayed significantly higher rates of mathematics achievement, self-report of social acceptance and behavioral conduct and higher rates of observed teacher and student task-related behavior as compared with controls. Peer student active engagement in academic activity was positively related to curriculum-based mathematics test scores. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A meta-analytic review of social, self-concept, and behavioral outcomes of peer-assisted learning.

Meta-analysis was used to examine social, self-concept, and behavioral effects of peer-assisted learning (PAL) interventions with elementary school students. An electronic search of PsycINFO and ERIC databases resulted in 36 relevant PAL studies. Overall, effect sizes were small to moderate across the 3 outcome variable domains. Both social and self-concept outcomes were positively correlated with academic outcomes. Specific PAL components--student autonomy, individualized evaluation, structured student roles, interdependent group rewards, and same-gender grouping--were related to effect sizes. PAL interventions were more effective for low-income versus higher income, urban versus suburban-rural, minority versus nonminority, and Grades 1-3 students versus Grades 4-6 students. Results suggest that PAL interventions that focus on academics can also improve social and self-concept outcomes. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)