Field replication of classwide peer tutoring.
Let first- and second-graders teach each other spelling for 20 minutes a day and they will outperform teacher-led lessons.
01Research in Context
What this study did
The team ran classwide peer tutoring in two first-grade and two second-grade rooms.
Each kid got a daily 20-minute turn as tutor or tutee while the teacher watched.
They tracked spelling scores for 211 regular-education students across one school year.
What they found
Kids taught by classmates scored higher on weekly spelling tests than kids taught only by the teacher.
Low and high performers both gained the same amount, and the edge lasted into the next grade.
How this fits with other research
Jameson et al. (2008) took the same peer-tutoring idea into middle-school rooms. They trained typical peers to use constant time delay with students who have significant cognitive disabilities. The method still worked, showing the idea can travel uphill in age and disability level.
Drivas et al. (2019) tried a different spelling fix—cover-copy-compare—with and without a sounding-out step. Both versions beat doing nothing, but the extra step added zero benefit. Together the two papers say: pick peer tutoring for group impact, or plain cover-copy-compare when you need a solo seat-work tool.
Heinicke et al. (2012) swapped peers for a simple tape recorder that asked kindergarten kids to name numbers. The taped method hit a large share accuracy just like peer tutoring hit spelling mastery. Low-tech still wins when it’s active and repeated.
Why it matters
You can raise spelling scores without extra staff or fancy gear. Pair students, give them a script, and let them teach each other for 20 minutes. The teacher keeps the data and steps in only for errors. Try it on Monday during center time; one prep sheet lasts the whole week.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
We conducted a large-scale field replication study of classwide peer tutoring applied to spelling instruction (Greenwood, Delquadri, & Hall, 1984). Two hundred and eleven inner-city students in four schools participated during their first- and second-grade school years. The effects of classwide peer tutoring were compared to teacher instructional procedures and pretest probes using a group replication design (Barlow, Hayes, & Nelson, 1984). Analysis of group and individual results indicated that (a) both teacher instructional procedures and classwide peer tutoring were effective in increasing spelling performance above pretest levels, (b) peer tutoring produced statistically greater gains relative to the teachers' procedures for both low and high student groups formed on pretest levels, (c) these outcomes were representative of groups, classes, individuals, and years during the project, and (d) participant satisfaction with the program was generally high. A separate analysis of the social importance of treatment outcome revealed differential findings for low and high groups related to pretest levels. Implications of these findings are discussed.
Journal of applied behavior analysis, 1987 · doi:10.1901/jaba.1987.20-151