&amp;#x2018;Plus Two&amp;#x2019; Peer-Led Team Learning improves student success, retention, and timely graduation

Becvar, James E.; Dreyfuss, Andrea; Flores, Benjamin C.; Dickson, William

doi:10.1109/fie.2008.4720327

Cited by 11 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 3 publications

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“…Because students’ performance in gateway STEM courses has been shown to be a leading factor in STEM retention (Maton, Hrabowski III, & Schmitt, 2000; Becvar, Saupe, Noveron, & Narayan, 2008; Haak, HilleRisLambers, Pitre, & Freeman, 2011), STREAMS sought to increase STEM retention by improving student performance in gateway courses. STREAMS’s approach emphasized inquiry-based, small-group, peer-cooperative learning (Graham, Frederick, Byars-Winston, Hunter, & Handelsman, 2013; Summers & Hrabrowski, 2006; Dweck, 1986; Light & Micari, 2013; Deslauriers, Schelew, & Wieman, 2011; Froyd, 2007; Arendale, 2005), making this learning a required component of all students’ experience in gateway courses which posed the “highest risk” of attrition.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Using a “Studio Physics” model, previously-distinct lecture and laboratory modalities were combined into a single approach. In two three-hour studio class meetings per week, instruction alternated between mini-lectures, group-based inquiry activities, and laboratory-style experiments (Becvar et al 2008). Peer leaders attended the studio classroom to assist students when working in groups on problems or labs.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Required peer-cooperative learning improves retention of STEM majors

Salomone

Kling

2017

IJ STEM Ed

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Background: Peer-cooperative learning has been shown in the literature to improve student success in gateway science and mathematics courses. Such studies typically demonstrate the impact of students' attending peer-led learning sessions on their learning or grades in an individual course. In this article, we examine the effects of introducing a required, comprehensive peer-cooperative learning system across five departments simultaneously at a master's public university, looking not only at students' success in supported classes, but also their retention within STEM fields two years hence. Combining institutional demographic data with students' course grades and retention rates, we compare outcomes between 456 students who took their major's introductory course in the two years prior to implementation of the program, and 552 students who did so after implementation. Results: While these two student groups did not significantly differ in either their demographic profile or their SAT scores, the post-implementation group earned significantly higher grades in their introductory courses in each major, due largely to an erasure of the mediating effect of SAT scores on course grades. Further, this increase in introductory course grades was also associated with an increase in the two-year retention rate of students in STEM majors. Conclusions: This finding is significant as it suggests that implementing comprehensive educational reform using required peer-led cooperative learning may have the proximate effect of mitigating differences in academic preparation (as measured by SAT scores) for students in introductory STEM courses. Furthermore, this increase in success leads to increased retention rates in STEM, expanding the pipeline of students retained in such fields.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Required peer-cooperative learning improves retention of STEM majors

Salomone

Kling

2017

IJ STEM Ed

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“…43−48 Specifically, participants have found PLTL to be socially engaging and intellectually stimulating, as well as a productive use of their time. 47 The model also enhances general communication skills 43 and has been linked to the development of students' CT. 36 "The largest untapped area for future research" related to PLTL has been identified as evaluating its impact on students' development of reasoning and CT skills. 24 This study is a part of the response to this need.…”

Section: ■ Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Impact of Peer-Led Team Learning and the Science Writing and Workshop Template on the Critical Thinking Skills of First-Year Chemistry Students

2019

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The Peer-Led Team Learning (PLTL) and the Science Writing and Workshop Template (SWWT) are two active learning instructional approaches which combine writing, inquiry, collaboration, and reflection, elements which have been associated with critical thinking development. In this study, we used a quasi-experimental pretest–post-test design to investigate the impact of the implementation of these two approaches on the critical thinking skills of first-year chemistry students, measured using the California Critical Thinking Skills Test (CCTST). The results indicate that implementation of the PLTL and the SWWT instructional strategies led to significantly higher gains in critical thinking.

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“…At the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP), the year 2021 marks the 21 st anniversary of implementation of PLTL in chemistry (Becvar, 2012;Gosser & Roth, 1998). At UTEP, PLTL has dramatically improved grades in general chemistry, increased majors in chemistry and biochemistry, boosted retention rates, and led to improved graduation rates in STEM disciplines (Becvar et al, 2008;Darnell, et al, 2013;Dreyfuss, et al, 2015;Moreno, et al, 2013). In general, the fifty Peer Leaders in this robust program are consistently creating content and contributing to the program's growth and stability.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

DIY PLTL: Funding the Program for the Leaders by the Leaders

Becvar¹,

Saupe²

2021

APLL

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We present and describe a Do-It-Yourself strategy to develop and utilize trained Peer Leaders in your PLTL program to fund that very program. We discuss how you can develop a self-funding PLTL program by employing existing talent, creativity, and need for customized PLTL learning materials to financially support a future or current PLTL intervention. A local non-profit publisher, organized specifically for the purpose, is essential in this endeavor. The non-profit organization handles finances and provides Conflict of Interest distancing for faculty and student PLTL practitioners. To date, the non-profit and DIY-PLTL strategy described here has donated a total of more than $700,000 to two university campus PLTL programs in support of peer-facilitated learning.

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‘Plus Two’ Peer-Led Team Learning improves student success, retention, and timely graduation

Cited by 11 publications

References 3 publications

Required peer-cooperative learning improves retention of STEM majors

Required peer-cooperative learning improves retention of STEM majors

Impact of Peer-Led Team Learning and the Science Writing and Workshop Template on the Critical Thinking Skills of First-Year Chemistry Students

DIY PLTL: Funding the Program for the Leaders by the Leaders

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