Cross-age peer mentoring programs, in which teenagers mentor younger children, have proliferated in recent years, yet there is disagreement about the effectiveness of such programs. This study tested whether teen mentors' attitudes about children interact with their mentees' characteristics to moderate outcomes of cross-age peer mentoring. The…

Using an incremental model, 15 teens were trained as facilitators for an inquiry-based science program for children. Data from focus group interviews, surveys, and direct observations showed that teens were effective in implementing curriculum activities with children. Key elements in the model's design were workshop organization, introductory…

In the San Francisco Bay Area (California), community agencies and organizations routinely use teenagers as mentors and teachers of peers and younger children. Despite the literature indicating that teens should derive many benefits from these roles, agency staff have observed teen teachers who appear frustrated, bored, or disengaged, or who have…

Concerned professionals in the juvenile justice field frequently express concern for effective programs that help youth offenders successfully rejoin society. This mixed-method pilot study involved detention home teens functioning as tutors for special education students in a public school. Tutors were selected who, based on previous assessment as…

The MacMentoring Project was designed to "hook" disenfranchised youth back into school by building self-esteem while teaching them transferable computer skills. The project was conceived with two key assumptions: adolescents have poor attendance, poor school behavior, and low self-esteem due, in part, to their poor response to previous…

A program of aiding sixth grade adolescent development by using high school student leaders to interact with them is described. The development of the program, screening procedures for peer leaders, training outline for leadership and communication skills, and evaluations are presented. Tables of peer interaction evaluation, staff evaluation…

The article describes a cross-age peer teaching project which sought to explore the potential of peer teaching in encouraging disruptive secondary school pupils to participate more positively in school. Two Year 9 girls from a challenging urban secondary school were selected to teach a group of Year 6 pupils in the nearby primary school. The Year…