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Topic: Literacy; Assessment for learning
Peer tutoring in writing: A school systems approach
John Medcalf, Ted Glynn, and Dennis Moore
University of Waikato, University of Auckland, New Zealand
Educational Psychology in Practice 20(2) June 2004, pp 157 - 178
Introduction
Peer tutoring (click to page 3) is a method of in-class teaching in which same-age or older
children are trained to support their peers in learning. It can provide educational benefits for
both the tutors and the tutees, and is seen by many as one of the most effective, enjoyable
and practical ways in which to deliver individual learning.
This study used an intensive tutoring approach where senior primary school children
assisted junior class students to develop writing skills. The responsive nature of the
programme meant that tutors were required to use higher cognitive skills than those used in
many traditional peer tutoring programmes. Although limited by the small sample, this study
shows how both tutors and tutees benefited from the process.
Keywords:
United Kingdom; Primary schools; Key Stage 1; Key Stage 2; Pupils; Literacy; Writing; Peer
tutoring
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Contents
What is peer tutoring? (click to page 3)
The main findings of the study (click to page 4)
What else did the study find? (click to page 5)
What were the aim and the design of this study? (click to page 6)
What does an inclusive ‘process writing’ approach consist of? (click to page 7)
What training did the peer tutors receive? (click to page 8)
What are the implications of the study? (click to page 9)
Where can I find out more? (click to page 10)
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What is peer tutoring?
Peer tutoring in a classroom context involves training students in instructional methods so
that they can assist younger or same age students’ learning. Peer tutoring is a practice that
classroom teachers can deliver in such a way that it allows them to cater for diverse needs
within an inclusive and responsible social context.
Peer tutoring:
 makes use of the support children can offer each other while working together in a
structured approach that caters for the individual development needs of both
parties;
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can provide academic gains for both tutors and tutees;
has been found effective, with same-age and cross-age peers, both in small groups
within classes, and as part of class-wide peer tutoring arrangements;
benefits from a positive relationship and balance of power between participants
(therefore participation should be voluntary for both parties); and
has been demonstrated to be a successful intervention in a range of disciplines
including: reading, mathematics, spelling, reading comprehension and writing.
Some studies have suggested that peer tutoring may promote greater academic gains than
teacher instruction. This may be because students feel comfortable in peer interactions,
allowing for a more easy development of cognitive growth and skills.
Being a peer tutor can train a student’s social skills, enhance their self-efficacy and remedy
skill deficiencies. In some cases, tutors have made significantly greater gains than those they
have been tutoring. In such cases, tutors have been selected on the basis of who stands to
make a gain rather than who are the most competent students in the subject.
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The main findings of the study
The tutors in this programme benefited from their involvement, showing gains – maintained
at follow-up – in all measured areas of their writing.
The rate and accuracy of tutee writing gains was even larger than those of the tutor writing
group. (This is in contrast with some other peer tutoring studies, and may be a reflection of
the using of tutors and tutees of different ages in this study, as opposed to using same-age
tutors and tutees). The tutee group progress contrasted with that of the control group
students, who generally showed little change on any of the writing behaviours measured in
the study. Interestingly, tutee gains were quite close to their follow-up scores, suggesting
that skills they learned through peer tutoring were generalised and able to be maintained
afterwards without the same level of support.
Audience ratings of the enjoyability and clarity of the tutees’ writing showed a marked
improvement as the research progressed and the gains were largely maintained afterwards.
The largest gains were in reader enjoyment. Attitudinal data from both teachers and peer
tutors found that both groups were strongly in favour of the procedures.
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What else did the study find?
Writing output
Tutees substantially increased their writing output during the intervention, in comparison
with the control group students. These gains were generally maintained at follow-up (four
weeks after the programme had ended). There was little change in the writing output of the
control group throughout the study. Although there was no same-age control for the tutors’
group, their writing output increased in most cases during intervention and follow-up.
Importantly, participation didn’t appear to have a detrimental effect on their writing output.
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Punctuation and spelling
Both tutors and tutees showed clear positive gains in accuracy of both spelling and
punctuation, with tutees showing the largest gains. These rates of improvement were largely
sustained during follow up, and were in marked contrast with the control group students.
While some of the tutors were already successful in these fields, others demonstrated large
gains in punctuation skills during and after the intervention.
Enjoyability and clarity
Ratings for both enjoyability and clarity of the tutors’ and tutees’ writing increased during
intervention and follow-up. The increase in enjoyability of the tutees’ writing from baseline
to intervention was particularly marked. This contrasted with the control group, which
exhibited little change throughout the intervention.
Teacher attitudes
Teachers rated the intervention at six out of a possible seven for usefulness. They would
recommend the programme to other teachers and would continue to use it within the
school.
Tutor attitudes
Most tutors felt they had helped tutees produce longer, more interesting and more accurate
writing, and that the intervention would help them both in planning their own writing and in
understanding how others learn.
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What were the aim and the design of this study?
The study examined peer tutoring approaches to helping low progress writers and explored
their effectiveness in assisting teachers to manage a process-oriented writing programme in
a large class. It aimed to use an inclusive instructional procedure to improve writing progress
for a group of primary-aged students from two different classes and age-groups.
The study took place in an urban primary school and involved:
 five teachers. Of these, three taught the senior classes providing the tutors, and two
the junior classes where tutoring was carried out;
 seven peer tutors aged between ten and eleven (ten was considered the minimum
age necessary to handle the complexity of the tutoring task). Although there was no
requirement that they should perform at an age-appropriate level in writing, tutors
were selected on the basis of their ability to write at a three years’ performance
difference from those they tutored. Participation was voluntary and tutors could
withdraw from the programme at any time; and
 eleven six year-old students (from the two junior classes in the school) identified by
the teachers as being the most in need of assistance with their writing. Seven were
randomly selected to receive tutoring, and the other four monitored as controls.
Peer tutoring occurred for four twenty-minute sessions weekly in the tutees’ classes over a
ten week period. Tutors received no extra assistance with their writing beyond their training
as peer tutors (Click to What training did peer tutors receive?) but continued to do their own
writing in their own classes during their own regular writing programme (also four twentyminute sessions weekly).
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Samples of the writing of the seven target students, the four control students and the seven
tutors were taken before the tutoring programme began (the ‘base-line’ phase), during the
ten-week course of the programme (the ‘intervention’ phase) and four weeks after it
finished (the ‘follow-up’ phase). Five writing samples were collected and analysed from each
phase. During the intervention period, samples of independent writing by the tutees (as part
of the class writing period but without peer tutor support) were taken to help measure the
effect of the intervention.
The samples were measured by:
 rate (both words and sentences per twenty-minute session);
 % accuracy in both punctuation and spelling; and
 quality - blind ratings by parents and teachers of the enjoyability and clarity of the
tutors’, tutees’ and control children’s writing.
Samples of sessions were tape recorded to establish the level at which the tutors used
approved tutoring behaviour. At the end of the intervention period teacher and peer tutor
attitudes to the programme were assessed by survey.
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What does an inclusive ‘process writing’ approach consist of?
The researchers examined a peer tutoring procedure for writing (known as a “process
writing” approach) which required tutors to provide instruction and feedback that was
responsive to specific and differing learning needs and behaviours.
The process involved:
 planning/pre-writing;
 drafting;
 revising; and
 publishing.
The authors defined an inclusive programme as one that:
 can be implemented within the classroom by classroom teachers;
 is compatible with curriculum aims and accepted instructional methods;
 can provide equitable access for students (ie a programme available for any
appropriate student, rather than a specialist remedial programme which
cost/resource availability restricts to a few chosen students);
 is flexible enough to cater for individual needs while maintaining its programme
structure; and
 can be aligned with the school’s values and principles, and supported by
management, parents and the wider community.
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What training did the peer tutors receive?
The peer tutors’ training took place during three forty-five minute sessions over two weeks.
These consisted of:
 discussion of the role of tutors in helping a friend develop independent writing skills;
 familiarisation and practice in specific tutoring procedures;
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proof-reading writing for meaning and accuracy;
asking appropriate questions to prompt the writer to make changes/improvements;
and
 conducting pre-writing conferences with peers to develop a writing plan.
Tutors also received three feedback sessions on their performance as tutors during the first
two weeks of tutoring.
Following training the peer tutors were expected to be able to assist and prompt the tutees
in specific ways. These included:
 helping them to develop and expand a writing plan;
 providing prompts and encouragement with the writing process;
 assisting the writer to attempt difficult words;
 asking questions to promote editing changes/additions;
 prompts or assistance in proof-reading for spelling and punctuation; and
 providing praise and encouragement for the writer’s efforts.
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What are the implications of the study?
As the study was only based on one school’s experience, we cannot generalise in terms of
implications of the study, however, in completing this digest the authors began to ask the
following questions about implications for practitioners:
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Peer tutoring was an effective learning tool for the pupils in this study. Would the
use of peer tutoring help teachers in your school to improve their pupils’ learning?
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What are the professional development implications of introducing peer tutoring in
your school? Would teachers benefit from practising the peer tutoring skills
between themselves before introducing tutor training to their pupils?
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How well would such peer tutoring transfer to a different field, such as mathematics
or IT? Would teacher collaboration, including joint planning, be an effective way of
introducing peer tutoring in other curriculum areas?
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This is not the only model of peer tutoring which has been found to be effective.
Other models have involved same-age pupil tutoring. Teachers might consider
whether these approaches may be easier to implement in their own classrooms
initially.
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Where can I find out more?
Glynn, T. (1994) Pause Prompt Praise: Reading tutorial procedures for home and school
partnership. In S. Wolfendale, and K. Topping (eds.) Effective partnerships in education.
Cassell Education.
Medcalf, J. (1995) Cooperative learning and peer tutoring: strategies for inclusive education.
Reading forum NZ (2) 11-19.
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