Reading in Pairs, description and results of a peer tutoring program for English as a foreign language

ABSTRACT

Reading in Pairs is a peer tutoring program designed to improve oral fluency and reading comprehension in English as a Foreign Language. In this program students work in pairs, using an established relationship framework and the support of their teacher. This article outlines the main conceptual foundations of the program: peer tutoring, English as a foreign language, and family involvement in academics; describes Reading in Pairs covering the activities per session, roles of tutors, tutees and teachers, training for participants, assessment, and other details and presents results of its implementation in 27 schools, with 974 students. Using a mixed research method, combining a pre and post-test quantitative design (for reading comprehension and oral expression) and qualitative study (analyzing the interaction of 3 pairs and teacher and student perceptions), results suggest the effectivity of the program.

KEYWORDS:

• Cooperative learning
• family involvement
• oral expression
• peer tutoring
• reading comprehension

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes on contributors

David Duran Gisbert is a PhD assistant professor from the Educational Psychology Department from the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (Catalonia). He has developed international training activities for teachers and has published books and articles on peer learning. He is director of UAB's Peer Learning Research Group (GRAI). Website: http://grupsderecerca.uab.cat/grai/en. His research interests include peer learning and inclusive education.

Marta Flores Coll is a PhD Postdoctoral professor from the Educational Psychology Departament from the UAB. She worked as a school teacher and has developed teachers' traning activities. She has published some educational reaseach articles. She is member of the GRAI. Her research interests include peer learning, peer tutoring and cooperative learning.

Maite Oller Sánchez is a primary education teacher with a long experience as practitioner, headteacher and teacher trainer. She is teacher trainer in the Network od schools in Reading in Pairs program, for the Educational Department of Catalan Government.

Marcela Ramírez Montes is Master of Educational Psychology from the University of Minenesota (USA, Fullbright student) and is an assistant of research in the Faculty of Education at the University of Geneve (Switzerland). Her research interests include cooperative learning and intercultural education.

ORCID

David Duran Gisbert http://orcid.org/0000-0002-0640-3834

Marta Flores http://orcid.org/0000-0003-0112-1851