An expansion of the peer-tutoring paradigm: cross-age peer tutoring of social skills among socially rejected boys.

Four boys who were left out by peers became tutors for younger kids. The older boys learned social skills through behavioral skills training. Then they taught these skills to the younger students during recess.

Researchers watched the boys before, during, and after the program. They counted how many positive social actions each boy showed.

All four boys started more positive talks with peers. The gains stayed strong five weeks later. Both the older tutors and younger tutees improved their social play.

Thompson et al. (1974) first showed cross-age tutoring works for math facts. Hagopian et al. (1999) took the same idea and applied it to social skills instead of arithmetic.

Gladstone et al. (1975) proved high-schoolers can learn ABA teaching skills through BST. The current study mirrors that training but uses it for peer tutoring.

Edgemon et al. (2020) and Bacon-Prue et al. (1980) both used BST to teach job-interview skills to teens. Hagopian et al. (1999) shows BST can also teach playground social skills.

You can turn rejected students into helpers. Train them with BST, pair them with younger peers, and watch social skills grow on both sides. Start small: pick one rejected student, teach three key social behaviors, and let them practice by coaching a younger child at recess.