Page 1 of 6

Journal for Studies in Management and Planning

Available at http://internationaljournalofresearch.org/index.php/JSMaP

e-ISSN: 2395-0463

Volume 01 Issue 03

April 2015

Available online: http://internationaljournalofresearch.org/ P a g e | 61

Impact of Peer Tutoring on Learning of Students

Najabat Ali*1, Muhammad Anwer2, Jaffar Abbas3

1Research Scholar, Hamdard Institute of Education and Social Sciences, Hamdard University,

Main Campus, Karachi, PAKISTAN.

2

Faculty Member, Special Education Department, Gilgit, Gilgit Baltistan, PAKISTAN

3PhD Scholar, Glorious Sun School of Business and Management, Donghua University, West Yan’an Road

1882, Shanghai Post Code 200051 China.

Email: alinajabat@hotmail.com

ABSTRACT

The study attempts to investigate the

concept of peer tutoring and its impact on

learning. Peer tutoring can be applied

among the students of the same age group

or students from different age groups. The

students learn from each other in an

organized way through the process. It is a

well-organized and beneficial learning

experience in which one-student acts as the

tutor or teacher and the other one serves as

the tutee or learner. Peer tutoring creates

an opportunity for the students to utilize

their knowledge and experience in a

meaningful way. In this process the tutors

reinforce their own learning through

reviewing and reformulating their

knowledge. On the other hand, the learner

or tutee gets one on one attention. Peer

tutoring enables both tutor and tutee to

gain self-confidence, the tutor by observing

self-competence in his or her capability to

help someone and the tutee by gaining

positive reinforcement from the peers.

Therefore, peer tutoring has a very positive

impact on the process of learning.

Key Words: Peers, Peer Tutoring, Learning,

Teaching, Education; Peer Tutoring, Peers,

Tutors, Learning, Students, Education,

Teaching

INTRODUCTION

Peer learning is a broad learning strategy. It

covers a wide range of activities through

which people learn through different

techniques. These activities ranged from a

traditional proctor model in schools to the

more innovative learning groups in colleges

and universities. In proctor model the

senior students act as tutors and junior

students as tutees. On the other hand in

innovative learning groups students of the

same age group or same level help each

other by forming partnerships. (Griffiths,

Housten and Lazenbatt, 1995). There are

some other models which include

discussions, seminars, private study groups,

counseling, peer-assessment schemes,

collaborative project or laboratory work,

workplace mentoring and community

activities. (Boud, 1988).

Page 2 of 6

Journal for Studies in Management and Planning

Available at http://internationaljournalofresearch.org/index.php/JSMaP

e-ISSN: 2395-0463

Volume 01 Issue 03

April 2015

Available online: http://internationaljournalofresearch.org/ P a g e | 62

As peer learning involves a large range of

activities but here the study analyzes a two- way, reciprocal learning activity. Peer

learning should have mutual benefits and

involve the sharing of knowledge, ideas and

experience between the participants. Peer

learning can be termed as a technique of

moving beyond independent to

interdependent or mutual learning (Boud,

1988).

Through this the students learn to a great

extent by elaborating their views to others.

They also participate in such kind of

activities in which they are able to learn

from their peers. (Kaufman, Felder and

Fuller, 1999). Peer learning enables the

students to develop their skills to organize

and plan learning activities, working in

collaboration with others, giving and

receiving feedback about their work and

finally evaluation of their own learning.

Nowadays the importance of peer learning

is increasing and it has become the part of

many courses in a wide range of contexts

and disciplines in many countries of the

world. (Boud, 1988).

Students usually learn effectively through

peer learning especially at a time when

university resources are insufficient and the

demand of staff is higher. Peer learning

creates the opportunity for the students to

learn from each other by utilizing their own

skills. It enables students to have more

practice than traditional teaching. Students

take more responsibility in peer learning

and learn how to learn effectively. (Johnson

and Holubec, 1993)

LITERATURE REVIEW

The history of peer learning goes back as far

as the period of Aristotle. (Wagner, 1982).

Throughout the history there have been

many developments in peer learning,

working in different contexts. The

monitorial system developed by Joseph

Lancaster in 1800s is another type of peer

learning in which monitors or proctors learn

from their teachers and then passed it to

other children. (Gerber and Kauffman,

1981).

The term peer tutoring is used for various

tutoring activities but mostly it is referred

to the students who usually study or learn

in pairs in order to help each other. Peer

tutoring usually leads to better

understanding of the academic concepts

but it is more fruitful when the students

having different ability levels work with

each other. (Kunsch, Jitendra, & Sood,

2007).

Formal peer learning is far more

instrumental strategy in which advanced

students act as teachers or tutors and often

they require some form of remuneration

from their students who learn from them.

In many universities it is a well established

practice, whereas reciprocal learning is

considered to be incidental. (Brookfield and

Preskill, 1999).

Page 3 of 6

Journal for Studies in Management and Planning

Available at http://internationaljournalofresearch.org/index.php/JSMaP

e-ISSN: 2395-0463

Volume 01 Issue 03

April 2015

Available online: http://internationaljournalofresearch.org/ P a g e | 63

Peer tutoring is one of the important

techniques which has been used by the

teachers to raise the assurance and

confidence level of their students. Through

this method the learners are divided in pairs

in which one acts as a tutor and the other

as tutee or learner. (Rosewal et al. 1995)

The students who learn in cooperative

learning groups acquire more knowledge

and they take their responsibilities in a

better way as compared to others.

(Fernandez-Santander, 2008)

There are numerous advantages for

teachers, students and the students being

tutored, by using the programs of peer

tutorial. Many research have been

completed for the support of statement

that several students feel very comfort,

and therefore can focus well on the subject

problem, with a peer tutor relatively than a

qualified teacher (Ehly et. al.,). There are

different forms of academic peer tutoring in

colleges; especially in large universities the

students of graduate level are assigned the

responsibility of teaching courses of

undergraduate level. (Goodlad and Hurst,

1989).

There is proctoring program which is

another example of peer learning in which

the senior students teach or guide their

juniors. In this kind of peer learning the

students who are ahead of others teach the

students who need help. So we can realize

that peer tutoring is equally advantageous;

equally for student and tutor attitude to

achieve something. So, peer tutoring is also

beneficial for the teachers who do not have

so much time to occupy with every student

individually. (Topping, 1998)

TYPES OF PEER TUTORING

There are three main types of peer tutoring.

(I) RECIPROCAL PEER TUTORING (RPT)

In this type of peer tutoring the peers learn

from each other by changing their status

from tutor to student. Both peers take turns

at being the tutor while the other one acts

as the student or learner. This strategy

provides a very good opportunity to every

student to act as a tutor which enhances his

confidence level. (Goodwin, 2001; Goodwin

& Watkinson, 2000)

(II) CLASS-WIDE PEER TUTORING (CWPT)

Class-wide peer tutoring breaks the whole

class into smaller groups. It is one of the

important types of peer tutoring in which all

the students of the classroom very actively

learn from each other for an extended time

period. They act as tutors as well as

students or learners. So every student of

the class involves himself in the assigned

activities and learns in a very good way.

(Greenwood, Carta and Hall 1988)

CROSS-AGE PEER TUTORING (CAPT)

In this type of tutoring the elder student act

as tutor and they teach the young students.

The tutors have a higher academic

background as compared to their students

or learners in cross-age peer tutoring. This

approach is valuable for the students

because they get effective individual

instructions and feedback from their tutors.

On the other hand the tutor gets valuable

teaching experience. (Lieberman,