TY - JOUR

T1 - Peer Support : relations between the context, process and outcomes for the students who are supported.

AU - Ashwin, Paul

N1 - The original publication is available at www.springerlink.com

PY - 2003

Y1 - 2003

N2 - In this paper an investigation of the outcomes of a Peer Support scheme for the students who are supported is reported. It was found that attendance at peer learning was positively and significantly correlated to academic performance. This relationship was found even when prior levels of academic performance were controlled for. However, it was also found that students who attended peer learning adopted statistically significant less meaning orientated approaches to studying over the course of the academic year. It is argued that this is an indication that the quality of the learning of these students fell. Qualitative evidence suggests that this change in approach was in response to an increased awareness of the assessment demands of the course and that these students had become more strategically orientated in their approach to studying as a result of their attendance at Peer Support. It is argued that these results suggest that the outcomes and operation of this Peer Support scheme were influenced by the context in which it operated. Two implications of these findings are discussed.

AB - In this paper an investigation of the outcomes of a Peer Support scheme for the students who are supported is reported. It was found that attendance at peer learning was positively and significantly correlated to academic performance. This relationship was found even when prior levels of academic performance were controlled for. However, it was also found that students who attended peer learning adopted statistically significant less meaning orientated approaches to studying over the course of the academic year. It is argued that this is an indication that the quality of the learning of these students fell. Qualitative evidence suggests that this change in approach was in response to an increased awareness of the assessment demands of the course and that these students had become more strategically orientated in their approach to studying as a result of their attendance at Peer Support. It is argued that these results suggest that the outcomes and operation of this Peer Support scheme were influenced by the context in which it operated. Two implications of these findings are discussed.

U2 - 10.1023/A:1023227532029

DO - 10.1023/A:1023227532029

M3 - Journal article

VL - 31

SP - 159

EP - 173

JO - Instructional Science

JF - Instructional Science

SN - 0020-4277

IS - 3

ER -