Model
Class Wide Peer TutoringOutcome
Other Content AreasTarget Student Population
Middle School Socio Economic Status Special Needs/Learning DisabilitiesABSTRACT
Class Wide Peer Tutoring (CWPT) is an instructional strategy which utilizes students
who are academically strong in one area, in this case science. These students have
favorable behavioral characteristics which allow them to successfully tutor their
peers. One eighth grade inclusion science class of 23 students from an urban middle
school were divided into five groups of four students and one group of three students.
Each group was assigned a student peer tutor. This tutor would assist other students
in the group with the designated science activity. Weekly observations of the effects
of the CWPT; student, tutor and educator surveys on their opinions of CWPT in the
classroom; and the comparison of student grades for two marking periods before
and after CWPT implementation were used to gauge the level of program success.
Fewer students earned failing grades for the marking period following CWPT than in
previous marking periods where CWPT was absent. Positive classroom behavior and
student engagement also increased during learning activities once CWPT had been
implemented.