Peer Tutoring and Response Groups practice: paired tutoring and small response groups for English language learners¶

Element · All elements
Evidence · 4 claims (3 for, 1 against) · 1 study (1 causal), q3 · 1 of 1 report an effect size · 4 claims rest on one study

Description¶

An instructional practice aiming to improve the language and achievement of English language learners by pairing or grouping students to work on a task. The report describes two formats: "Peer tutoring typically consists of two students assuming the roles of tutor and tutee, or 'coach and player' roles," while peer response groups give four or five students shared responsibility for a task such as editing a passage, with individual students assigned roles like editing punctuation, spelling, or overall feedback. Both formats emphasize peer interaction and discussion to complete a task. Groups may be same-ability or mixed, pairing bilingual students with English-only or beginning English peers.

Design Implications¶

Context¶

Requirements¶

• Specific instruction on tutoring procedures or how to assume individual roles in a group is required before implementing the routine use of this practice

Constraints¶

• The process for implementing the groups depends on the specific instructional task and academic objective
• No developer is responsible for providing information or materials; cost information is not available

Target Learners¶

• English language learners in grades 1–6 elementary classrooms

Target Learning Goals¶

• English language development
• reading and writing tasks
• listening comprehension
• social support

Claims¶

• Cross-age peer tutoring by either bilingual or English-only tutors shows no statistically significant effect on oral language proficiency (Serrano, 1987) [-W]
• Peer pairing increases English learners' peer-directed language behavior but shows no significant effect on listening comprehension or teacher-directed language (Jun-Aust, 1985) [+W]
• Peer response groups increase the number of idea units in English learners' writing but show no significant effect on composition quality or sentences written (Prater & Bermudez, 1993) [+W]
• Peer Tutoring and Response Groups has positive effects on English language development for English language learners, with an average improvement index of +17 percentile points [+W]

Related Elements¶

Examples¶

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Key Sources¶

• What Works Clearinghouse, U.S. Department of Education. (2007). WWC Intervention Report: Peer Tutoring and Response Groups. https://ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc