Monitoring Implementation of Reciprocal Peer Tutoring: Identifying and Intervening With Students Who Do Not Maintain Accurate Implementation

Abstract

This study evaluated students' daily implementation of a reciprocal peer tutoring procedure for mathematics and methods for supporting student implementation. Additionally, this study evaluated the reliability of progress monitoring data collected by students. The peer tutoring procedure was designed such that completion of each treatment component produced a unique permanent product. Student integrity was defined as the percentage of treatment components completed. The effect of performance feedback for students with poor implementation was evaluated. Five of the 37 students who implemented the peer tutoring procedure were provided additional follow-up support due to poor implementation. The accuracy of students' implementation of the peer tutoring procedure improved markedly when they were provided performance feedback. With regard to the reliability of progress monitoring data collected by students, a very high level of agreement was obtained between adults who scored probes for digits correct per minute and tutor scoring of those probes. Implications for practice employing peermediated interventions and further research are discussed.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Brad A. Dufrene

Brad A. Dufrene, MA, is an instructor in the School Psychology program at Mississippi State University, Starkville, Mississippi. His research interests include treatment integrity, functional behavior assessment, and experimental analyses of instructional interventions.

George H. Noell

George H. Noell, PhD, is an Associate Professor of Psychology at Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana. His research interests are behavioral consultation, intervention implementation, and assessment procedures that have treatment utility. His research focuses on high incidence referrals and populations in education.

Donna N. Gilbertson

Donna Gilbertson, PhD, is an Assistant Professor of School Psychology at Utah State University. She is a graduate of Louisiana State University in 2000. Her primary research interests are in the area of basic academic skill indicators, functional assessment, and resistance to intervention approaches with English learning populations.

Gary J. Duhon

Gary J. Duhon, PhD, is an Assistant Professor at Oklahoma State University. His research interests are behavioral consultation, functional assessment of academic deficits, variables associated with treatment integrity, and targeted interventions at both the individual and group level.