The purpose of this paper is to review peer-mediated interventions (PMI) as an effective teaching strategy in supporting the academic achievement of students diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and additional learning needs. Using a systematic review of the literature, eleven (11) peer-reviewed articles met the criteria for inclusion.…

A mixed methodological approach was used to examine the effect of a cross-age tutoring writing program among second- and fourth-grade students in a rural elementary school in Delaware. Pre-test and post-test writing prompts were administered and evaluated using the 6+1 traits writing assessment rubric. Students were assessed qualitatively through…

Project BEST (Basic Educational Skills and Training) is a mentoring program involving Virginia Commonwealth University students and area middle school students. In the two-tiered program, VCU faculty mentor the Project BEST college students who, in turn, serve as mentors to the middle school students. Activities include Saturday mathematics and…

"Caring School Community"[TM] ("CSC") is a modified version of a program formerly known as the "Child Development Project" ("CDP"). The "CSC" program has been recently revised to eliminate some elements of the "CDP" that were shown in evaluation studies to be inconsistently or poorly…

This review of the literature on student tutoring considers four questions: 1) are there patterns of cross-age, cross-culture, or cross-ability which increase or decrease the tutoring effectiveness? 2) does a highly-structured, controlled program mean better results than informal tutoring? 3) is the level of learning actually raised for both tutor…

Low-achieving fifth-grade children either taught a third grader or studied alone for a series of daily sessions. At the end of the two-week period, the low-achievers' performance was significantly better in the tutoring condition than in the studying condition. This showed a reversal in the direction from the initial difference between conditions.…

Describes the method and advantages of stratified heterogeneous grouping. (Author)

This paper examines research on peer mentoring programs, highlighting their benefits and noting conditions and components of successful programs. Research shows that elementary peer mentoring programs can increase the use of critical thinking skills, interpersonal skills, and conflict resolution skills. Studies also highlight the benefits of…

Four patterns or generalizations about peer tutoring are discussed, including the following: (a) academic gains for the learner seem to be most uniformly produced by highly structured programs which explicitly define the content, sequence, and procedure for each lesson; (b) academic gains for the tutor seem most likely when the tutoring experience…

Reports on three case studies of seventh-grade students teaching mathematics to third-grade students, in place of their classroom teacher, applying the Learning Through Teaching method. Discusses performance results for both tutors and tutees and restrictions on the scope of results. Concludes that tutoring benefits tutors more than tutees. (DSK)

Two experiments compared cross-age and peer tutoring interventions within special education settings. In experiment 1, 47 elementary age learning and/or behaviorally disordered (LD/BD) students acted as tutors of younger LD and BD students. In experiment 2, 31 same-age LD and BD students alternated tutor and tutee roles. In both experiments,…

The article synthesizes results of studies dealing with cross age and peer tutoring in special education, noting both tutor and tutee benefits (academic and personal/social). Implications for instruction are noted. (CL)

Forty eighth-grade students, all failing math, were divided into a control group and an experimental group. Control group received traditional treatment. Experimental group met with trained older peer tutors twice a week. Results indicate that experimental group improved significantly while control group did not. (HMV)

Available published research on tutoring is reviewed with emphasis on research findings. Field research on long-term programs is examined, followed by a closer scrutiny of specific variables affecting the outcomes of tutoring--variables often examined in short-term projects. Included are problems of methodology and design. (RC)

This study was conducted to examine tutoring as a pedagogical tool to enhance learning in the tutor. Three groups of high school students were subjects of the study. The first group, instructed in a story grammar and its use as a recall apparatus, taught the strategy to younger students; the second, an equivalent group, was given strategy…