Students' Perceptions of Peer Teaching in a Coding Course

Abstract

Mobile learning in education has evolved over the last decade and a half. Associated with this evolution is the increased popularity of teaching how to code using mobile technologies. Then again, finding alternative methods to teach coding, such as peer teaching, might affect learning. Peer teaching is a reciprocal learning relationship between peers. This mixed method case study aimed to explore students' perceptions of peer teaching in an mLearning coding course. Twentysix participant learners, and three peer teachers, voluntarily participated in the study for six weeks. 77% of participants found that learning from their peers was fun, satisfying and more informative than they expected. However, 42% of participants highlighted that they did not have enough confidence to peer-teach the material they learned during the peer teaching process. Thus, it is important to design a teaching process which considers culture, students' expectations, and students' needs, because those factors affect the learning process.