The purpose of a peer tutoring program is to assist those students who require ongoing and formal instruction in a subject area. If effectively run, it can have an impact on retention. There are five areas that need to be addressed when initiating a peer tutor program: (1) organization and funding; (2) supervision; (3) tutor training; (4) tutor…

College dropout rate as a function of poor fit between institution and students has been studied extensively, but how this phenomenon operates for disadvantaged students is not adequately understood. This study examines the effects of a project that attempts to use peer relationships--tutoring and mentoring--to improve academic performance and…

The paper reviews the literature on the training of social behavior in autistic children and reports on a project which developed and evaluated a program which explicitly trained mildly handicapped peers to facilitate the social behavior of autistic children. The extensive literature review looks at the etiology of social deficits in autistic…

The purpose of this study was to determine whether student teachers participating in an experimental seminar, which included peer coaching based on self-identified, instructor-, and peer-determined instructional needs, would demonstrate greater instructional skill transfer to the elementary classroom than would student teachers participating in a…

A study investigated the efficacy of using the neurological impress method in peer tutoring during reading instruction. The neurological impress reading method is a unison reading procedure in which the student and teacher or tutor read aloud simultaneously and quickly, with the student placed slightly in front of the teacher so that the teacher's…

In this research review of basic issues in learning disabilities, definitions, possible causes, prevalence, and identification of learning disabilities are discussed. Characteristics of learning disabled individuals are considered under five headings: perceptual and perceptual-motor disabilities, problems with attention and hyperactivity,…

This handbook for tutors participating in the federally funded Operation Success Special Services Program, one of the college level TRIO programs designed to aid students from disadvantaged backgrounds, was compiled with the cooperation of tutors at the Wichita State University. The first section describes the needs of the students being tutored…

The study, involving 119 academically handicapped third, fourth, and fifth graders, examined the effects of an instructional method (Team-Assisted Individualization) that combines cooperative learning with individualized learning in mathematics. Previous studies have found that the use of cooperative learning instructional processes can improve…

A preliminary investigation was conducted into the possible use of peer tutoring in the distance education environment at Athabasca University. In a pilot study a single peer tutor was assigned tutoring duties in English 210 (Introduction to Literary Forms and Techniques) for a six-month period. Ten new students starting classes in October were…

An experiment that proved worthwhile at Lehman College is reported, in which student teams learned how and produced research papers, a requirement in half the courses on the campus. (Editor/PG)

Twelve educable and three trainable mentally retarded fifth and sixth grade students were trained in techniques to allow them to tutor nonhandicapped students in sign language. Observers noted free play interaction between handicapped and nonhandicapped children at lunch hours. Results indicated that the mean percentage of interaction between…

The purpose of this project was to help teachers improve their classroom instructional skills by providing a teacher support system based on the clinical supervision model. Participating teachers and administrators came from Region VI of the District of Columbia Public Schools. Participants received training and practice in the clinical…

The small group activities described in this paper resulted from the author's attempts to involve and challenge reluctant learners in an introductory college composition course. The paper describes the main types of activities used--oral discussion of readings, collaboration on structure drills, exchange of worksheets for peer correction, and…

The learning module described is designed for the use of teachers interested in implementing or improving a student tutoring program. The content of the module is outlined, and the activities and resources involved in its use are described. A critique of the module is presented, and ordering information is included. (JD)

Intervention studies in which peer social initiations were used to increase the social and play skills of withdrawn preschool and school aged children are reviewed. A discussion follows of such practical application issues as selection of peer trainers, training of peer trainers, arrangement of the setting for peer intervention, and teacher…