Research
Peer-assisted learning 
Addressing the challenges
of educating English language learners
in the middle grades
Adaptations of Peer-Assisted Learning for English Language Learners: Application to Middle-School Social Studies Classes
Sharon Vaughn, Ph.D.,
Leticia Martinez, Ph.D. and Colleen Klein Reutebuch, Ph.D.
The Meadows Center for Preventing Educational Risk
Sylvia Linan-Thompson, Ph.D.
Department of Special Education
College of Education
The University of Texas at Austin
This project addresses the critical need to provide effective instruction for ELLs in social studies classes in seventh grade. Specifically, the study is designed to examine the efficacy of social studies instruction that is enhanced with specific instructional and learning strategies, supplemental materials (for example, video), and purposeful pairing of students. The goal is to enhance knowledge acquisition and vocabulary/concept learning through systematic practices associated with improved outcomes for ELLs in middle school content classes.
This project was designed to address the learning challenges of EL learners by focusing on practices that enhance students’ understanding of social studies content and of expository text by providing them opportunities to learn and use the language associated with social studies. Our model of instruction shares various features recommended for high quality instruction for all students including peer mediated learning, research-based practices for vocabulary instruction, the use of media to build comprehension, and the development of background knowledge.
The use of structured pairing enhances instruction in three ways. First, paired activities increases students’ access to and practice with the language associated with content area instruction. Second, pairing students to read and work together provides an interactive and motivating structure for learning. Third, through the use of paired activities, English language learners have the opportunity to participate in class discussions by providing modeling and practice. Peer mediated learning has the potential to allow students to be actively engaged and can give them more opportunities to respond to meaningful academic content.
Vocabulary words were chosen to build students' academic language. Practices that were included expanded students’ understanding of word meanings by providing them opportunities to encounter new words in texts and/or videos after they received explicit instruction of word meanings. The explicit instruction of word meanings included several components: a student-friendly definition, a Spanish cognate if appropriate, an illustration, two sentences to contextualize the target word, and examples and nonexamples.
Instruction was also enhanced with the use of visuals. Vocabulary and background content instruction was enhanced with the use of video and graphic organizers. Traditional teaching of history depends heavily on students being able to independently read textbooks. Video provides access to challenging content for ELLs. Short video clips were used to create meaningful access to the content by providing students with an alternative to grade-level text. In addition to providing access to content, the video provided additional exposure to key vocabulary and concepts as well as opportunities for discussion.
Additionally, graphic organizers were used to organize information that was read, watched in videos, and discussed into meaningful conceptual groupings. The graphic organizers facilitate ELLs’ comprehension of the “big ideas” by helping students discuss and write the most important information from their lessons.
- What are the effects of a seventh grade social studies intervention based on specific instructional and learning strategies, supplemental materials, and mixed grouping arrangements on students’ content knowledge?
- What are the effects of a seventh grade social studies intervention based on specific instructional and learning strategies, supplemental materials, and mixed grouping arrangements on students’ vocabulary and comprehension skills?
Seventh grade students were randomly assigned to seventeen sections of social studies classrooms in two participating junior high schools (N=360). Then the class sections of four social studies teachers were randomly assigned to either a control (N= 173 students) or intervention (N= 187 students) condition. Of the original 360 students, 107 were English language learners (68 in the intervention and 39 in the control condition).
All four teachers were trained by the researchers to implement the instructional strategies. They received materials and coaching to assist them in delivering the intervention with fidelity to intervention class sections. Students in the intervention classes received the intervention during their regularly scheduled seventh grade social studies class between November and April. Students in the control sections received typical instruction. The intervention was implemented for 50 minutes a day, 5 days a week for 12-14 weeks.
Intervention
Four intervention components were identified for year 3 of the study. These were structured paired grouping arrangements, explicit vocabulary instruction, the use of video and purposeful discussion to build concepts, and the use of graphic organizers to build comprehension and vocabulary. Intervention practices were designed to enhance the delivery of instruction and student opportunities to discuss the content.
- Researcher-developed, content-specific pre- and post-tests and the GRADE reading assessment were administered to all students in control and intervention sections.
- To determine the effect of the intervention, the research team developed weekly curriculum-based measures for students in intervention classes.
- The fidelity measure was developed to document the instruction in the intervention classrooms.
For more about this project, visit http://www.meadowscenter.org/projects/create.asp.
Last updated June 2009 |
Featured Resources
Information about this study was presented at the 2008 CREATE Conference and at the 2007 CREATE Conference. Browse the conference materials for presentation handouts, related readings, and more.