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Abstract
The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of a dyadic peer-mediated treatment, Peer-Assisted Learning Strategies (PALS), on first-grade children's mathematics development. Within schools, 20 classrooms were assigned randomly to PALS or no-PALS groups. Teachers implemented PALS three times each week for 16 weeks. Treatment fidelity was measured with direct observation; teachers completed questionnaires about treatment effectiveness and feasibility; and 323 students were pre-and posttested. Effects were separated for low-, average-, and high-achievers, and effect sizes and the percentage of nonresponders for 18 students with disabilities were calculated. Results indicated that treatment implementation was strong; teachers judged PALS to be effective and generally feasible; and students with and without disabilities, at all points along the achievement continuum, benefited from PALS. Implications for research and practice are discussed.
Additional information
Notes on contributors
Lynn S. Fuchs
Lynn S. Fuchs is Professor Special Education, co-director of the Peabody Reading Clinic, and co-director of the Kennedy Center's research program on learning accommodations at Vanderbilt University. She conducts research on classroom-based assessment and reading and mathematics instructional methods.
Douglas Fuchs
Douglas Fuchs is Professor of Special Education, co-director of the Peabody Reading Clinic, and co-director of the Kennedy Center's research program on learning accommodations at Vanderbilt University. His research focuses on early reading instructional methods and learning disabilities classification issues.
Laura Yazdian
Laura Yazdian is Project Coordinator in the Department of Special Education at Vanderbilt University. Previously, she was a classroom teacher at the elementary level. Her work focuses on mathematics instruction in the primary grades.
Sarah R. Powell
Sarah R. Powell is Project Coordinator in the Department of Special Education at Vanderbilt University.. With a graduate degree in school administration from Vanderbilt and as a former kindergarten teacher, she is interested in school leadership as well as instructional methods that optimize student learning.