TY - JOUR
T1 - Students as teachers
T2 - Effectiveness of a peer-led STEM learning programme over 10 years
AU - Drane, Denise
AU - Micari, Marina
AU - Light, Gregory
N1 - Funding Information:
This work was supported by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, the National Science Foundation [0525550].
PY - 2014/4
Y1 - 2014/4
N2 - Peer-led small-group learning has been used quite extensively in the US to enhance performance and retention of undergraduate students in science, math, and engineering classes. This study presents the results from an evaluation of a peer-led small-group programme at a research university in the US over a 10-year period across five disciplines (biology, chemistry, engineering, physics, and mathematics) and seven courses. Data suggest the programme had a positive impact on participants' grades in five of the seven courses and on retention in the four courses that require students to take a course sequence. Effects of the programme were investigated across gender and ethnic groups. Participants benefited from the programme regardless of their gender or ethnicity. However, effect sizes were often larger for students from underrepresented groups. This was particularly true for course retention, where effect sizes for females were larger than those for males in four courses.
AB - Peer-led small-group learning has been used quite extensively in the US to enhance performance and retention of undergraduate students in science, math, and engineering classes. This study presents the results from an evaluation of a peer-led small-group programme at a research university in the US over a 10-year period across five disciplines (biology, chemistry, engineering, physics, and mathematics) and seven courses. Data suggest the programme had a positive impact on participants' grades in five of the seven courses and on retention in the four courses that require students to take a course sequence. Effects of the programme were investigated across gender and ethnic groups. Participants benefited from the programme regardless of their gender or ethnicity. However, effect sizes were often larger for students from underrepresented groups. This was particularly true for course retention, where effect sizes for females were larger than those for males in four courses.
KW - STEM education
KW - peer instruction
KW - retention
KW - small-group learning
KW - underrepresented students
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84898012514&partnerID=8YFLogxK
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U2 - 10.1080/13803611.2014.895388
DO - 10.1080/13803611.2014.895388
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:84898012514
SN - 1380-3611
VL - 20
SP - 210
EP - 230
JO - Educational Research and Evaluation
JF - Educational Research and Evaluation
IS - 3
ER -