An Elementary School Homeroom Teacher Implementing Same-Age Peer Tutoring Program in English Remedial Instruction: An Action Research

• Main Authors: Yi-Mei Tsai, 蔡逸梅
• Other Authors: 張湘君
• Format: Others
• Language: zh-TW
• Published: 2009
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/22595653523365901750

碩士 === 國立臺北教育大學 === 兒童英語教育學系碩士班 === 98 === Abstract As students in one class may vary in their English proficiencies, this makes teaching challenging. The study was implemented by a homeroom teacher (an English teacher as well) to lessen such problem. The main purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of peer tutoring program among the same age group in English remedial instruction on students’ English learning achievement and English learning attitude. The subjects of this action research were twenty-four third graders of the same class in a primary school in Taipei County. The study, divided into two stages, was implemented forty minutes each time, and two times a week for ten weeks. In the first stage, six well-trained “high achievers” took the role of tutors in the peer tutoring program, each teaching three other group members, including one mid-high, one mid-low, and one low achiever. In the second stage, “mid-high achievers” took the training and then became tutors. All the subjects were tested with Primary School English Test Paper and Primary School Attitude Scale before and after the study. During peer-tutoring sessions, the researcher interviewed with all the tutors and tutees by asking them to write two journals about the peer-tutoring program, and obtaining feedback from them at the end. The results of the study were as follows: First, after peer tutoring in English remedial instruction, the learning achievements including the awareness of alphabets, the ability of phonics and the ability of vocabulary and sentence patterns were enhanced greatly. Among the students, low achievers improved the most and mid-high achievers the next. Second, students’ English learning attitude became positive in the attitude of “English practicability”; however, notable differences were not shown in “the affection for learning English” and “the confidence in learning English”. Low achievers’ English learning attitudes improved the most. Third, with regard to likes and dislikes to curriculum activities, students liked “poker games” and “English cartoons” the most; the least activity they liked was “reading aloud on stage”. Furthermore, after cooperative peer tutoring program within small groups, the interactions of the students changed positively. A bond is formed in the class, and the peer relationships were closer. Based on the results, suggestions to teachers, administrative departments, educational bureau, publishers and implications for future relevant research were presented at the end of the study. Keywords: peer tutoring, remedial instruction, various levels