Peer tutoring, social status and self-concept

Abstract

Boys with behaviour problems (BP) exhibit a variety of difficulties in academic and socio-behavioural-emotional domains. Interventions offered at the early elementary years can significantly decrease difficulties that can occur later in life. Without early interventions, behaviour difficulties can persist into adolescence and adulthood. In addition to the difficulties experienced in the academic and socio-behavioural-emotional domains, boys with BP tend to endorse negative self-perceptions and based on the scarce literature, they also tend to have a low social status, as perceived by their peers. As the profile for boys with BP is well established and tends to be stable, effective interventions that encompass academic and behavioural components must be implemented in the school environment, in which boys spend a great portion of their day.The present study focussed on investigating the effects of a well-researched programme, Classwide Peer Tutoring (CWPT), on the academic, behavioural, on-task, self-concept and social status of 40 boys with BP following 12 weeks of participation in the programme. A control group of 33 boys with and without BP who did not participate in CWPT was also investigated on the same variables. Results are particularly encouraging, as significant findings were obtained on many of the measures for all boys who participated in CWPT. Furthermore, in addition to the impressive academic improvements, important gains were observed on the social status and domain-specific perceptions of boys with BP. Implications regarding implementation of CWPT with additional populations of children with diverse needs will be discussed as it relates to the inclusive movement