AN INVESTIGATION INTO THE EFFICIENCY OF PEER TEACHING

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Abstract
Three studies of peer teaching were carried out using first year students on the compulsory Anatomy course at St. Loye's School of Occupational Therapy, Exeter. The performance of those students engaged in peer teaching (experimental group) was compared using standard mastery tests with that of a control group following the normal course of lectures and discussion sessions. The pilot study showed a superiority of student tutors over their tutees (p < 0.001) and over the controls (p < 0.01). Trial I confirmed these findings and showed that the experimental group as a whole performed significantly better (p < 0.025) than the controls, although this effect was mainly due to tutor rather than tutee scores. Trial II was designed with the aim of improving tutee performance, but although this was achieved, the difference between tutee and control scores was still not statistically significant (p < 0.1). The flexibility of the instructional system that was achieved by Trial II, and the results obtained, suggest that such a system is ideal for teaching factual topics in a crowded timetable with limited numbers of staff. However, further investigations are required using different disciplines with a view to a wider application.

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