Exploring the emotional intelligence of student leaders in the Supplemental Instruction context.

James, C., & Templeman, E. (2015). Exploring the emotional intelligence of student leaders in the SI context. Journal of the First-Year Experience & Students in Transition, 27(2), 67-81. Retrieved from http://www.ingentaconnect.com/contentone/fyesit/fyesit/2015/00000027/00000002/art00004?crawler=true

An exploratory study of the emotional intelligence (EI) of student leaders participating in a Supplemental Instruction (SI) program was conducted to determine whether a significant relationship exists between leadership effectiveness and EI as measured by the Bar-On Emotional Quotient Inventory (EQ-i) and to assess the impact of the leadership experience on EI scores through pre- and post-testing. The results revealed a statistically significant difference in the Total EQ-i of the more effective leaders as compared to the others. The more effective leaders also scored higher on all the EQ-i subscales, with the differences on Social Responsibility, Impulse Control, and Reality Testing being statistically significant. As for changes in EI, only the scores on the EQ-i Problem Solving subscale increased significantly between the pre- to post-testing sessions. Implications for practice and future research are addressed.

To download the complete annotated bibliography of more than 1,100 citations for postsecondary peer cooperative learning programs, click on the following link, http://z.umn.edu/peerbib

Speech and language therapy students' experience of Peer Assisted Learning: Undergraduates investigate PAL as a means of enhancing academic and professional development

Guyon, A., Butterfint, Z., Lacy, A., Sanosi, A., Sheridan, K., & Unwin, J. (2015). Speech and language therapy students' experience of Peer Assisted Learning: Undergraduates investigate PAL as a means of enhancing academic and professional development. Journal of Learning. Retrieved from https://ueaeprints.uea.ac.uk/55820/1/PAL_Project_FINAL.pdf

The implementation of Peer Assisted Learning (PAL) on healthcare courses in Higher Education Institutions has been explored in a number of studies. This paper presents research into the experience of PAL on a BSc Speech & Language Therapy (SLT) programme. The research was conducted by final year undergraduate SLTstudents to form the basis for their final dissertations. The focus for their research was on the effects of PAL on academic and professional development for both mentees and mentors on the same course. Data were generated from standard PAL evaluations and focus roups. Findings indicate that mentees benefit from PAL in terms of their university experience and learning. Mentors benefited from opportunities to develop and practice skills for their future employment. Engagement with PAL is attributed toits structured yet informal nature and the enthusiasm of the mentors. However, the collaborative nature of PAL take  time to develop, impacting on the behaviours of both mentees and mentors. Overall PAL offers mentees and mentors opportunities which enhance their academic learning and professional development.

To download the complete annotated bibliography of morethan 1,100 citations in postsecondary peer cooperative learning programs, click the following link, http://z.umn.edu

Analysis of student performance in peer led undergraduate supplements

Gardner, L. M. (2015). Analysis of student performance in peer led undergraduate supplements. (Ph.D. Dissertation), University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas.  Retrieved from https://kuscholarworks.ku.edu/bitstream/handle/1808/19159/Gardner_ku_0099D_14264_DATA_1.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y

Foundations of Chemistry courses at the University of Kansas have traditionally accommodated  nearly 1,000 individual  students every year with a single course in a large lecture hall.  To develop  a more student-centered learning atmosphere, Peer Led Undergraduate Supplements (PLUS) were introduced  to  assist  students,  starting  in  the  spring  of  2010.    PLUS  was  derived  from the  more well-known Peer-Led  Team  Learning  with  modifications  to  meet  the  specific  needs  of  the university and the students.  The  yearlong  investigation  of  PLUS  Chemistry  began  in  the  fall  of  2012  to  allow  for adequate  development  of  materials  and  training  of  peer  leaders.    We  examined  the  impact  of academic achievement for students who attended PLUS sessions while controlling for high school GPA, math ACT scores, credit hours earned in high school, completion of calculus, gender, and those aspiring to bepharmacists (i.e., pre-pharmacy students).  In a least linear squares multiple regression,  PLUS  participants  performed  on  average  one  percent  higher  on  exam  scores  for Chemistry 184  and  four  tenths  of  a  percent  on  Chemistry  188  for  each  PLUS  session  attended. Pre-pharmacy  students  moderated  the  effect  of  PLUS  attendance  on  chemistry  achievement, ultimately negating any relative gain associated by attending PLUS sessions.  Evidence of gender difference was demonstrated in the Chemistry 188 model, indicating females experience a greater benefit from PLUS sessions.  Additionally,  an  item  analysis  studied  the  relationship  between  PLUS  material  to individual  items  on  exams.    The  research  discovered  that  students  who  attended  PLUS  session, answered  the  items correctly  10  to  20  percent  more  than  their  comparison  group  for  PLUS interrelated items and no difference to 10 percent for non-PLUS related items.   In summary, PLUS has a positive effect on exam performance in introductory chemistry courses at the University of Kansas.

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Bridging the experiential learning gap: An evaluation of the impacts of Ulster University's Senior Student Tutoring Scheme on first year students.

Eaton, M. D. (2015). Bridging the experiential learning gap: An evaluation of the impacts of Ulster University's Senior Student Tutoring Scheme on first year students. Journal of University Teaching & Learning Practice, 12(2), article 6. Retrieved from http://ro.uow.edu.au/jutlp/vol12/iss2/6/

Since 2004-05 first year students at the School of Environmental Sciences, Ulster University have engaged with senior student tutors (SSTs) in workshop activities aimed at preparations for their written examinations. Using a pedagogical action research methodology we evaluated the role of SSTs in bridging the experiential learning gap between practitioners and recipients. Analysis suggested positive associations between workshop participation, examination success and improved module marks. Surveys showed that first year students gained confidence, were less intimidated and empowered with revision and examination techniques. The SSTs gained valuable insights, tutoring experience and an evidence base useful to their career paths. Discussion focused upon risk-averse first year students who grasped and then transformed the experiences of the SSTs into successful examination performance. It is argued that our SSTs have helped to bridge the experiential learning gap and made inter-collegiate connections that would have been less-likely in a formal, teaching staff-led situation. Faculty suffering from examination related student progression problems could, therefore, benefit from adopting this locally controlled, low cost, small-scale, tailor-made, peer assisted tutoring scheme.

To download the complete annotated bibliography of more than 1,100 citations of postsecondary peer cooperative learning programs, click on the following link, http://z.umn.edu/peerbib

Peer-Led Team Learning helps minority students succeed

Snyder, J. J., Sloane, J. D., Dunk, R. D. P., & Wiles, J. R. (2016). Peer-Led Team Learning helps minority students succeed. PLOS Biology, 14(3). doi: doi:10.1371/journal.pbio.1002398. Retrieved from http://journals.plos.org/plosbiology/article?id=10.1371/journal.pbio.1002398

Active learning methods have been shown to be superior to traditional lecture in terms of student achievement, and our findings on the use of Peer-Led Team Learning (PLTL) concur. Students in our introductory biology course performed significantly better if they engaged in PLTL. There was also a drastic reduction in the failure rate for underrepresented minority (URM) students with PLTL, which further resulted in closing the achievement gap between URM and non-URM students. With such compelling findings, we strongly encourage the adoption of Peer-Led Team Learning in undergraduate Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) courses.

The entire annotated bibliography of more than 1,100 citations concerning postsecondary peer cooperative learning programs can be downloaded by clicking the following link, http://z.umn.edu/peerbib

The causal effects of the Peer Assisted Study Sessions (PASS) on educational outcomes

Paloyn, A. R., Rogan, S., & Siminski, P. (2016). The causal effects of the Peer Assisted Study Sessions (PASS) on educational outcomes. Retrieved from https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwjwoqG7uazLAhVGuIMKHXJuD4UQFggiMAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.uow.edu.au%2F~siminski%2FFinal%2520Report%2520-%2520Public%2520Copy.pdf&usg=AFQjCNH96hWntRMHTwkOanTB-n6YmCtEdg&sig2=MbSrUzNY-TR6Ba3PJsbWLA

This report summarises the results of a HEPPP-funded research project on the effects of the Peer Assisted Study Sessions (PASS) on educational outcomes. The study used a randomised encouragement design (RED), which avoids the potential problem of selection bias that pervades non-experimental evaluations.  Globally, this is the first large-scale experiment on the effectiveness of PASS or related Supplemental Instruction programmes.The study population consists of 6954 student subject observations from 14 first-year courses at the University of Wollongong in Australia in 2014 and 2015. Following the RED approach, a randomly selected sub-group was offered a large, near-cash incentive to participate in PASS. Whilst PASS participation is voluntary and unrestricted, participation was 0.47 sessions (19 percent) greater for the incentivised group compared to the non-incentivised group. This inducement effect is larger for students from low-SES areas (0.89 sessions). But the overall inducement effect is smaller than anticipated, which limits the statistical power of the main analysis, especially for subgroups. We also varied the size of the incentive greatly between semesters, but this did not meaningfully change the size of the inducement effect. The design of effective incentives for student populations warrants further research. The experiment suggests that one hour of PASS improved grades by 0.065 standard deviations (1.26 marks on a raw 100-point scale), which is consistent with the non-experimental literature. However, this estimate is not statistically significant, reflecting limited statistical power. The estimated effect is largest and statistically significant for students in their first semester at university (0.153 standard deviations or almost 3 marks per hour of PASS). This particular sub-group analysis was not in our preanalysis plan, and so it should be treated as a suggestive–rather than a confirmatory –result. Nevertheless, it remains plausible given issues around transitioning into a university environment, including the more independent, self-directed study skills and time management required in tertiary study, as well as the need for structure and social support. We had intended to study heterogeneity of effects for a number of other subgroups (by socioeconomic status, rural and indigenous backgrounds, age, sex, domestic/international status, and high school grades), but this was not feasible because of limited statistical power.

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Mathematics communication within the frame of Supplemental Instruction – SOLO and ATD analysis

Holm, A., & Pelger, S. (2016). Mathematics communication within the frame of Supplemental Instruction – SOLO and ATD analysis. Conference Proceedings of the Ninth Congress of the European Society for Research in Mathematics Education, Prague, Czech Republic. Retrieved from https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01289441/document

Teaching at Swedish primary and secondary schools is often combined with collaborative exercises in a variety of subjects. One such method for learning together is Supplemental instruction (SI). Several studies have been made to evaluate SI in universities throughout the world, while at lower levels hardly any study has been made until now. This study aimed at identifying learning conditions in SI-sessions at two Swedish upper secondary schools. Within this study, a combination of ATD (Anthropological theory of the didactic) and the SOLO-taxonomy (Structure of the Observed Learning Outcome) was successfully tried as an analysis strategy.

To access the complete annotated bibliography of more than 1,100 references to postsecondary peer cooperative learning programs, click on the following link, http://z.umn.edu/peerbib