Effectiveness and Development of Peer Teaching Models in Higher Education: A Study

Abstract

The usefulness and evolution of peer teaching approaches in higher education are examined in this study, with an emphasis on how they affect social-emotional outcomes, academic achievement, and student engagement. A mixed-methods approach was used, combining qualitative information from focus groups and student surveys with quantitative analysis of course evaluation results. Over the course of four months, 180 undergraduate students from a variety of academic programs took part in organized peer teaching sessions. The results show that students who participated in peer teaching significantly improved their academic performance, with an average score gain of 6.8 points when compared to traditional teaching approaches. Peer teaching also improved student engagement by encouraging critical thinking, cooperative learning, and active participation. Peer teaching participants also shown significant improvements in social-emotional outcomes, such as confidence, communication, and empathy (Ramirez, 2021, p. 143).

The study notes difficulties with training, implementation fidelity, and opposition to alternative teaching formats despite the favorable results. However, peer teaching shows great promise for incorporation into mainstream pedagogy with the right direction and administrative support (Sen, 2022, p. 212). The results provide useful information for implementing peer teaching techniques in secondary and higher education while bolstering previous research on alternate instructional approaches.